Major League Baseball’s All-Stars took center stage this week, but it was also a big week for the sport’s up-and-comers.
Several New Yorkers were selected during this year’s MLB Draft, including New York’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Miguel Sime Jr.
What You Need To Know
Several New Yorkers were selected during this year’s MLB Draft, including New York’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Miguel Sime Jr.
Sime Jr., a senior from Queens, attends Poly Prep Country Day in Brooklyn, and has dreamed of playing Major League Baseball since he was a young boy
He was committed to pitch at LSU this fall — on a full ride — but now he and his arm have been selected by the Washington Nationals
Sime Jr. trains with coach Francisco Gracesqui at Elite Performance gym in Long Island City
Sime Jr., a senior from Queens, attends Poly Prep Country Day in Brooklyn, and has dreamed of playing Major League Baseball since he was a young boy.
Now, that dream is within reach after he was selected by the Washington Nationals with the 111th pick in the fourth round of the draft.
“This morning I spoke with my agent. He told me I was locked in with the Nationals in the fifth round,” Sime Jr. said. “A couple minutes later he called me and said, ‘They don’t want to wait, they want you in the fourth round.’”
It was a phone call that Sime Jr. says changed everything.
“I told you my dream, and it’s just giving me the key to the door to start achieving my dream,” Sime Jr. said.
Sime Jr. has a fastball that touches 101 miles per hour. He was committed to pitch at LSU — on a full scholarship — in the fall, but now he and his arm are going pro.
“A lot of emotion today, a lot of crying, a lot of phone calls, and I think this is one of the best days of my life,” Miguel’s father, Miguel Sime Sr., said.
“I’m very proud of him, especially the kid he is,” Miguel’s mother, Fiordaliza Avelino, said. “At the end of the day, he got what he wanted, what he always dreamed.”
Miguel’s parents are soaking up a moment they, too, have worked for since their son was just three years old.
When Miguel was young, his dad quit his job to drive for Uber and Lyft, so his schedule afforded him the flexibility to help Miguel train.
“We all sacrificed a lot of stuff,” Sime Sr. said. “A lot of cookouts, family gatherings for this, for this kind of moment, and I feel like we made it.”
The draft itself was a rollercoaster.
NY1 was with Miguel as friends and family gathered to watch the first few rounds at the gym where he trains.
Miguel’s agent told him to keep his phone close.
“Any buzz on my Apple Watch, I’m looking right away,” Sime Jr. said.
The call came. In fact, multiple teams called with offers. But they were all shy of what Sime Jr. and his family knew he was worth. Turns out, they were right to wait.
Among the most proud was Miguel’s coach, Francisco Gracesqui.
“He showed up every single day for the past four years, so all the hours he put in — that’s why he is where he is today,” Gracesqui said.
Gracesqui knows the challenges that can come with playing baseball in the city.
“You gotta take the subway to go everywhere, for one,” Gracesqui said. “It’s not like mommy’s driving you or you get a car when you’re 16. If you want this, you’ve got to struggle.”
Plus, there’s limited space, which is why Gracesqui opened his gym in Long Island City to be a place for kids, like Miguel, to practice.
“Before this, we were in Harlem River Park,” Gracesqui said. “There was a drug addiction problem, and he’s [Miguel] still showing up to the field. And I opened this [the gym] up for that reason, because we have to protect our kids. We can’t have them around this.”
Miguel says he has used those challenges to his advantage.
“That fast-paced lifestyle? We take it onto the field,” Sime Jr. said. “And I think that’s the edge that we have over some guys.”
An edge he hopes to one day carry with him to the big leagues.
“It’s one step closer, it’s one step up and it’s the beginning to what the future can be, so I’m excited to get working,” he said.