Nationals' Sime Junior: Elite Arm in Making

0:00On April 29th, Washington National's farm hands are turning heads early in the 2026 season. 19-year-old infielder Ronnie Cruz got bumped up from single A to high A after tearing it up at the plate, and he's got top 100 prospects. Buzz if he keeps rolling. But stilling the show is 18-year-old Ridey Miguel-Sime Jr. Their 20-25 fourth-round pick making waves in his pro-day view with. Single A Fredericksburg. Simes dropped five starts already, rocking a 3.07 ERA over 14 and 2-thirds innings. He's fanned, 32 batters, scattered just six hits, and his WHIP sits at 1.16, even with 11 walks mixed in. Fans and scouts are hyped after his April 29th gym, where he tossed three and two-thirds scoreless frames, allowed two hits, struck out nine, and didn't issue a single free pass. That's a big win for his control, and the National's player development crew couldn't stop tweeting about it, dig deeper. And his strikeout rate hits 54.2 percent, with a 19.64 K per nine numbers that pop at any level.

1:07Walks are the flip side at 6.75 per nine, but scrap his rough second start, and you're looking at a 2.13 ERA, fewer, free passes, and still 29 punchouts. If Simes sharpens that command while keeping the heat, he could rock it up the ranks and become one of baseball's elite arms. Nationals Pipelines looking stacked. Keep watching these kids climb. Stay locked in with Washington Nationals News Today, AI-powered updates. I'm Cory with the Story.