Insanely fun Guardians seventh-round pick is a hard-to-believe steal

Over the weekend, the Cleveland Guardians added to the future of their pitching depth by picking a bevy of arms in the MLB Draft. 

While Florida right-hander Liam Peterson in the first round, they also dipped into the draft’s pitching depth in the later rounds, ranging from high school left-hander Logan Schmidt (No. 59 pick) to Georgia right-hander Matt Scott (No. 243 pick). 

But the most intriguing option from those late round arms is right-hander Savion Sims, who they took in the seventh round (pick No. 213) out of Prestonwood Christian High School in Texas. 

Although he isn’t as much of an MLB-ready prospect as Peterson, Sims boasts an intriguing profile who could turn into a frontline arm so long as he’s able to refine his arsenal. 

The Guardians may have struck gold with Savion Sims 

The thing that jumps off the board about Sims is that he hit 100 miles per hour last season while also consistently sitting in the mid-90s. 

Now, the obvious downside to his profile is that he doesn’t have much of anything else (which is why he went so late in this draft). He technically throws a slider and curveball, but they’re still very raw. He’s clearly a developmental prospect. 

As The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote: 

“He doesn’t have an average breaking ball, with a slider that has velocity without great spin, and was mixing in a cutter when I saw him to try to get hitters off the heater. He’s a prospect, but definitely a long-range guy, and probably best suited for organizations that do well with pitch design and helping smooth out deliveries.”

And the Guardians are the perfect organization to help with that considering the prevalence of their pitching factory. 

Since Sims, 19, is still so raw, the Guardians could choose to sit him the rest of 2026 (like they did with last year’s first round pick Jace LaViolette) to get some work in the pitching lab and then have him start next season in the Arizona Complex League. 

There’s also the nature of his commitment to the University of Oklahoma. That commitment gives Sims a bit of leverage. The Guardians may need to give him more than the pick’s slot value of $280,900 if they want him to break that commitment. 

Regardless of whether or not Sims signs, the Guardians did a great job filling their micro and macro needs at the deadline. Not only did they draft a college pitcher with a ton of college experience (Peterson), but they drafted eight other pitchers who are also welcome additions to that depth. 

While it’ll take a lot of work before Sims is at a point where he can take the mound at Progressive Field, the Guardians have a proven track record of putting that work in with pitchers. 

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