Cincinnati Reds: 3 pitchers poised to breakout in 2021

Lucas Sims, Reds right-handed pitcher

Lucas Sims was exclusively used out of the bullpen in 2020 after seeing a few opportunities to start in 2019. The move certainly seemed to work well for the right-hander, as Sims put up phenomenal numbers and solidified his spot in the Cincinnati Reds pen heading into 2021. There’s a strong chance that Sims wins the closer’s role coming out of Goodyear.

I freaking Sims’ approach to the game. The 26-year-old works fast, pounds the strike zone, and is unafraid of the big moment. One look at Sims’ statistics over at Baseball Savant will show you how much the Georgia native likes to spin the ball.

Spin-rate has become a huge topic of discussion in recent years, and Lucas Sims ranks near the top in terms of spin-rate on his fastball and his curveball. Sims improvements are evident in his career-high 33.0% strikeout-rate in 2020. Sims saw his ground-ball percentage reach a career-best of 41.8% according to FanGraphs.

Lucas Sims will be in a three-way battle with Amir Garrett and Sean Doolittle for the role of closer once spring training commences. I give the edge to Sims, who has much better lefty/ righty splits than Garrett. However, in the end, I expect David Bell to split the ninth inning based on who matches up best against the opposing lineup. Either way, Sims will get plenty of opportunities to shine in 2021.