 James Simmons (UC Riverside Athletics)
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Biographical Data | |
| Player Name: | Donald James Simmons |
| Position: | Starting Pitcher |
| School: | UC Riverside |
| School Type: | Four-Year College |
| Academic Class: | Junior |
| Birthdate: | 09/29/86 |
| Height: | 6'4" |
| Weight: | 215 lbs. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Report Date(s): | 03/16/07 |
| Game(s): | Santa Clara |
| Scouting Video: |  |
Focus Area | Comments |
| Fastball: | Simmons' fastball sits in the 88-92 mph range. |
| Curve: | Simmons shows a curve at times, but it is a below-average pitch. |
| Slider: | Like with his curve, Simmons has a slider, but it grades out below-average. |
| Changeup: | Simmons' best pitch, the change is an average to plus pitch. |
| Control: | Simmons relies on outstanding command of his fastball. He also throws his change-up consistently for strikes. |
| Poise: | At times, he looks like an ace, especially at home, but he's had a hard time on the road, particularly in starts at Oklahoma (5 IP, 7 ER) and most recently at Washington (5 IP, 4 ER). In this start against Santa Clara (at home), he resembled the former, going seven innings, allowing one run, walking none and striking out seven. |
| Physical Description: | Simmons does have a big, projectable frame, though he doesn't pitch like a guy who'll rely on velocity. |
| Medical Update: | Healthy. |
| Strengths: | Outstanding command of two pitches; has the ability to be very efficient. |
| Weaknesses: | His breaking stuff. The curve and slider lag behind the fastball and change-up and will need to improve at the next level. |
| Summary: | When Simmons is on, he's the quintessential command right-hander, an efficient starter who fills the strike zone. When he has a breaking ball working, he's extremely effective. If he can't improve those offerings, though, he'll get too much of the strike zone and won't miss a whole lot of bats. |