Sims, Warkentin top Canuck JUCO prospects for June

By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The best Canadian Junior College prospect heading into the 2017 draft.

It’s easy. It’s simple.

C Jacob Sims is the Canuck listed on Perfect Game top 150 JUCO prospects for next June's draft.

Sims (Guelph, Ont.) caught last spring for the Roane State Raiders, will play there next spring and has signed a Letter of Intent to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  

RHP Nate Pearson from the College of Central Florida is listed as the No. 1 prospect, while Sims is listed 70th on the top 150. 

1B-LHP Matt Warkentin (Leamington, Ont.) is ranked 132nd on PG’s top 150 JUCO prospects. Warkentin is hitting for the Johnson County Cavaliers and is a graduate of the Great Lake Canadians. 

The 6-foot-5, 230 pounder Warkentin is headed to pitch for the Xavier University Muskateers in Cincinnati next fall.

In the spring, Sims hit .364 with nine doubles, a triple, seven homers and 46 RBIs in 44 games. He had an on-base mark of .449 and slugged .576 for an OPS of 1.025.

The Ontario Terriers grad, who played for coach Scott VandeValk, went hitless his first three games, but had three hits in a two-game series against Walters State Senators.

In all, he had 16 multi-hit games, his best days coming when he went 4-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs against Motlow State Bucks and 4-for-4 with a double playing the Hiwassee Tigers. He had three three-hit games against Walters State, Covenant and Southwest Tennessee and 11 two-hit games facing Walters State, Prairie State, Southwest Tennessee (twice), Clark State, Motlow State (twice), Dyersburg State, Jackson State, Volunteer State and Cleveland State   

Sims went deep against Walters State and Motlow State twice each, with one each against Southwest Tennessee, Dyersburg State and Cleveland State.