ball5podcast
Welcome to ball5podcast, where Aggie baseball greatness meets passionate fandom! Join us as we dive deep into the world of Texas A&M baseball with none other than a former Aggie All-American, A&M Baseball Hall of Famer, and A&M Hall of Champions inductee, Scott Livingstone. Get exclusive insights from his 8-year MLB veteran experience as we recap Aggie baseball series, conduct interviews with current and former players, interact with fans, host engaging Q&A sessions, share captivating stories, and much more. Whether you bleed maroon or simply love the game, this podcast is your ultimate destination for everything Aggie baseball!"
ball5podcast
ball5podcast/Aggie Sophomore RHP Aiden Sims
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Listen in as Scott visits with Aggie hurler Aiden Sims as they discuss the recent trip to Baton Rouge as well Aiden's preparation during the Summer and Fall for the current season. Aiden also speaks to his pitch repertoire, the ability to control the strike zone and how to flush any negative outcome immediately. Enjoy!!
Hey everybody, thanks for joining the Ball Five podcast. I'm your host, Scott Livingstone. And on tap today is my visit with Aggie sophomore right-handed pitcher, Aiden Sims. Excited to bring it to you. Let's get to it. How are you doing, man? Good. How are you? Good, good. I appreciate you jumping on early, man. I know you're kind of under the gun and everything, but uh I really appreciate you uh coming on the podcast with me. Yeah, thanks for having me. So uh I had a question for you. How's everybody feeling after the LSU series? I mean, I know you want to look forward.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But how was that atmosphere?
SPEAKER_00Dude, it was unbelievable. Like I went after the game I threw in, um, my parents told me that there was 10,000 people there, and it was it was a little quiet because of what was happening, but whenever they got rowdy, uh, whenever I it was think it was like the fifth inning, first and second, you could tell that there was a lot of people there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because you know, I was watching on TV and it it didn't seem like the stands were that full, but their stadium is so big it could still be 10,000 people, and it's it's not filled in every seat.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was it was way different when I whenever we went to practice and I saw it in person for the first time. It was way bigger than I thought than uh than I've seen it on TV. So it was it was a pretty cool atmosphere.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there's a there's kind of a picture circulating of you riding a tiger.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that that that was me.
SPEAKER_01You know you can't hide from this stuff anymore, you know.
SPEAKER_00Back in the back in the day, it's on there, it's on there forever.
SPEAKER_01So what what was the uh what was the story there?
SPEAKER_00Um uh so we were waiting after uh out of out of our team room to get our uh post-game meal, and there was a statue of a tiger out there, the doors were locked, and uh somebody told me to uh get on the tiger, and I was like, no, I think I don't think I should do that. And then everybody was like, Yeah, do it, do it. So then I just got peer pressured and jumping on it, and then they took pictures. I was I I was smiling, and then they sent it to Barstool, and then it just got out everywhere.
SPEAKER_01You're viral, man. You went viral. That was great. That was great. So well, uh, so what can we expect from the the Florida team? What what kind of uh what are they dangers they possess, like the hitters that you're gonna be facing? Do y'all have like team meetings going over the hitters, or what's the process there?
SPEAKER_00Uh no, not really. Um we always uh had the same plan to go and everything is throw strike one. Um I don't know if you've heard this or not, but uh I was watching Instagram or TikTok a while ago, and it was on tread, and it was uh I've never heard of anybody that's better behind in the count than they are ahead in the count. So we just try to throw strike one and see what they can do with it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's that's y'all definitely throw strike one. So yeah, so tell me so. Tell me what what's kind of been your progression and growth? Because last year it was like uh what three, four starts or something like that, and then dude, that now you're a weekend starter in the SEC. I mean, that's pretty impressive jump, I'd say. What's what yeah kind of got you to this point? And what do your workouts look like? Say the season ended for your freshman year. What happens day one that you get home and how how all that worked to get you ready? And did you know in the fall that you were gonna start or was it competitive?
SPEAKER_00Uh in the fall, it was super competitive. I don't think anybody had any idea who it was gonna be. I think we had a pretty good idea if it was uh that it was gonna be Shane and Weston, but there was some names getting thrown up in the air and it was super competitive. But uh after the fall, or after the year of my freshman year, um, I went and played summer ball in California. I threw, I think, 15 innings, and then um I came back. Uh I was only home for maybe like a week or so, and then I spent the rest of the summer uh in college station lifting and uh eating right, uh really working out super hard. And uh I think that was the biggest thing for me uh was coming back early. It was kind of tough having to make some sacrifices, being away from my family in the summer, whenever I I was like the only one here, and uh, but that was the biggest thing for me. I think it really helped me increase my B lo and then uh getting getting to be around the uh the new freshman was was awesome.
SPEAKER_01So, like so you you guys do a so back when I played, you know, we showed up one week before fall schedule, right? Yeah, you guys are getting together earlier in the summer, so everybody's pretty much down there and working out together.
SPEAKER_00Um most of the hitters go down there and play summer ball, or uh the people that live far away, they go home for a little bit longer. But since I live only like three hours away, I could go home on the weekend if I wanted to. But I thought it was uh gonna be more beneficial if I just stay down here for I would go home probably once every two weeks to go see my family. And then we went to we went we went on a beach trip and uh I missed like a week of being down here, but other than that, I was here the whole the whole summer.
SPEAKER_01Well, I was wondering, you said you went to uh California and played it. I mean, are you surfing or anything out there? Are you no?
SPEAKER_00I don't know how to do any of that. I was playing with uh the slow blues and uh I forget I don't know what the league was called, but we got to play against TK and uh Sawyer and Zane was on that team, but I didn't know he was coming here until uh summer was over, so it was pretty cool to play against those guys.
SPEAKER_01So I I know it, you know, I was a hitter, so I know what guys kind of do for hitters. What what's kind of your focus in the weight room as a pitcher? You know, back in our day, they were always like, don't lift heavy because you're gonna get stiff and tight and not be able to throw it. What's what's kind of the thought process with you guys as far as lifting?
SPEAKER_00Uh in the summer, whenever I was here, it was mainly just get strong, get as strong as you can. Um we would lift super early in the morning and then because I was working camps too, so I would lift in the morning and then work camps all day. But during the season, it's kind of trying to just maintain everything that you uh got uh in the summer and then uh conditioning too.
SPEAKER_01Well, I I don't know if you can see it, but I have a shirt on that says don't think just do. Yeah. In that kind of your motto. And the reason I have this, first of all, is because actually my walk-up song there was Danger Zone from Top Gun, the first the first one. So I'm a huge Top Gun Maverick fan, and we have a screen printing business as well on the side, and so we'd printed up some of these shirts with you know the don't think just do. That's awesome, but then I saw it on your uh social media, and I was like, okay, I was wondering where that came from.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh it was actually my parents they wanted me to watch. I've I hadn't seen it. This was like three, it was right right when it came out, the new one, right when it came out. I don't know how long ago that was. And they wanted me to watch it. I'm not a big movie watcher, but they got me into it, and uh it was probably the best movie I've ever seen, but I couldn't watch the first one because it was uh everybody says it's better than the second one, but the quality was a little too bad for me to watch this the first one.
SPEAKER_01It's probably because it's on VHS. Do you even know?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I don't know. Uh yeah, that's funny.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the Maverick, I'm telling you, man. My when my wife leaves town, she knows that I'm just gonna sit there in the in the TV room and watch Top Gun Maverick, man. It's just yeah, but I saw that, I thought, God, that's pretty cool. And she goes, Yeah, you talk to him, you need to wear the shirt, you know. Like, you gotta wear the shirt and show it to him. You know, that's all digging in the laundry, you know, making sure I got it. But uh so now that you uh so how'd you find out you were gonna be a uh a weekend starter? I mean, you were Sunday, now you're Saturday, but still weekend.
SPEAKER_00Um at the beginning of the year, uh coaches reached out and texted us, and they they told us that what the weekend rotation was gonna be. And then um I don't know how it came to uh me throwing on Saturday, but uh I I really don't know. I I don't know, it just kind of happened.
SPEAKER_01So what do you what do you think? So I know you had the three starters the year before, right? So and you got some some time on the mound your freshman year. I mean, what do you think was the big jump? I mean, because it is a big jump. Yeah you know, so what what do you credit that to, or just the the work in the summer, the work with JK? You know, what do you what do you uh put that credit towards?
SPEAKER_00Um the work in the weight room for me, and then uh the coaches helped me develop a lot of pitches. Uh I think uh the VLO jump might have been the biggest thing. Um, because I wasn't throwing, I was probably 88, 91, maybe hit a 92 last year, but now I'm uh throwing a little harder. And if my fastball is harder, all my other stuff's gonna be harder. So I got to work on some shapes uh this fall and different stuff that really helped me uh make that jump.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so that's one thing I was gonna ask you because you know, I I watch you pitch and it kind of looks like you're just out there, you know, actually having fun, kind of, you know. Uh but it's like your your pitches. Uh how many do you have? And it seems like you throw like so many all of them for strikes at any time in the count. Yeah. And you know, how do you how are you able to do that when we see so many guys that can't throw strikes?
SPEAKER_00Um I think I have six pitches, and uh it's just being like being relentless and trying to fill up the strike zone. Who cares what they do with it? Um like two-o curve balls or oh two heaters, it we still throw it in the strike zone and hitting's hard. There's a stat that we say uh 0-0 strike. Uh there's a 94 or 96% chance that the ball gets back in your glove. So the odds are in our favor. Um that's just what we do.
SPEAKER_01So, so you know, when when I'm thinking about you, but you throw every pitch for a strike, and so I'll sit, I'll sit there and watch, and it it looks like it'll be a different pitch every time. It kind of, I don't know if you ever thought, well, you said you're not a movie guy, but Major League Two or Charlie Sheen says this pitch is called the Terminator. If you get a piece of it, you can rename it, right? And you know, to me, it it feels like you know, you're throwing these pitches and you're like, if you can get a piece of it, well, yeah, you can rename it. But you know, it's just it's impressive to watch and see how well, you know, how much you guys throw strikes. And you know, I'm I'm a obviously I want you guys to win, but I do like good games, it drives me crazy when pitchers don't throw in the strike zone.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I was an outputer once. It was it was brutal whenever I had to wait out there and not throw strikes. So I kind of got a feel for it on both ends. I kind of feel it out whenever I'm up there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because when I was young, my dad coached me and he he had like two poles of like rebar, and then he would stretch strings across of it and then made a square in the middle of it and put it over home plate. He was kind of he was kind of like the abs system before there was an abs system, it was like a perfect square, and the catcher would be there. And I mean, I didn't, I mean I pitched in high school, but I didn't throw like you guys, but I threw strikes, and uh you know it was just it just drives me crazy. And so when you see guys that aren't throwing strikes, what is there what do you think that is? Do you think it's a mental thing? Are they afraid to challenge? Are they trying to be too fine?
SPEAKER_00Um I think all of our pitchers are committed to the process of throwing strikes. Um I don't know what it could be. Um, I really don't know.
SPEAKER_01I was talking, I'm talking more about the guys y'all face because they're the ones that seem to walk y'all all the time.
SPEAKER_00I mean, if I was facing our lineup too, I don't know if I'd be throwing everything down the middle. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I guess it's kind of like trust your stuff, right? I mean, yeah.
SPEAKER_00You just gotta go out there and I'm better than this guy. And if he hits it over the fence, then who cares? Just go out there and just like I did against Milam. I threw a 1-0 heater and he hit it over the fence and then threw strike one to the next guy.
SPEAKER_01You know, and that that was actually, I have that on my notes to ask you that. It's like I hear you guys say that, you know, a lot of the pitchers all the time, like Gavin Lyons, will say, you know, well, I threw this pitch, gave up a home run, so you know, next pitch, strike one, let's move on. Where did where does that kind of mentality come from? Is that just kind of within you guys or coaching staff instilled in you guys early? Kind of where does that thought process or that mentality come from?
SPEAKER_00Uh, it was when I got here. Um, uh, the coaches, and then it was really big with the older guys. Um, that who cares? Like they would do a real the older kids, like uh the starters last year, like Prager, Lampkin, and Miles, they would do a really good job of whenever I'd pitch on Tuesdays, they would talk to me in between innings, and I had a couple bad starts. Um and then my first start against Texas State. Um, I gave up a home run my first ever batter. Like, I don't think I could get much worse than that. And I come in the dugout and they're talking to me like those guys get paid to hit two. I mean, they're gonna hit homers, you're gonna strike them out. It goes either way.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So so how many pitches did you say you had?
SPEAKER_00I think I have six, and two of them two of them have come uh like throughout the year. I got a fastball, forcing fastball, uh, cutter, sweeper, change up, curveball, and then I kind of have like a we call it a dirty cutter. So it's like I don't know what it is, but it's more of like a depthy cutter instead of like a traditional uh Verdi cutter.
SPEAKER_01So you're talking about one that may dive instead of slide across the room.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it yeah, it's more of a I don't really know how to explain it, but it's it's kind of like a hard curveball, if I had to say it, say that.
SPEAKER_01So do you play around with grips? Is that and you just go, oh, let me try this or let me try that.
SPEAKER_00And yeah, we do a good job of doing that in catch play, just messing around with stuff, and then um we get on the mound and see if it's good on track man, and if it's not good, then we bang it. If it's good, then we try to work on a little bit more.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because I saw I saw you say something, maybe it was after a game or something that you said you kind of work on shaping the ball in the bullpen or something like that. Yeah, you know, shaping pitches is kind of been a new phrase for us older people because we didn't even talk about stuff like that. Uh I mean, what does that exactly mean?
SPEAKER_00Uh we can't we try to go by uh like pitches have shapes, uh they don't have names. Um it's just like how the it's like how the how they move on like a graph. Uh do you know how to read a track man? No. No? Okay, so it's kind of it's like a it's like an XY axis graph. Uh a righty, anything that goes away from a right-handed hitter is gonna be negative, and then anything that goes into a right-handed hitter is gonna be positive. So it's just we just call it shapes. So I don't really know where that came from. I heard it when I got here and I just stuck to it.
SPEAKER_01It kind of seems to make sense when you hear it though, right? I mean, yeah, you know, only thing I really understand is you know, this guy's got arm side move or something, you know, arm side, you know, or you know, something like that, or you see, he's throwing that ball glove side, and I'm like, okay.
SPEAKER_00And it's really cool to see when we get our uh our reports back. There's distinct, like fastballs up here, change up, and then sweeper, cut sweeper and cutter on this side, curveballs down. They're all like distinct in spots. It's pretty cool.
SPEAKER_01That's pretty crazy. So you get printouts like to look at, and or they show you on a computer.
SPEAKER_00We can go up to the coach's office and go over how our outings went and see what we need to work on, and then we can also do that in the bullpen with the portable track man we got.
SPEAKER_01So would you say that you pay a lot of attention to that type of stuff?
SPEAKER_00Uh I try to try not to get too caught up in it, but I know enough to where what my stuff is good at, and I can tell if it's not getting to that point, then I know it's I need to sweep it a little more or get more vert on it or whatnot. But I don't, I don't really uh I don't know how to say this, like to see if my outing is good based on my track man stuff, it's depending on the outcome to me.
SPEAKER_01So, yeah, you know what? I I think that's a good way to say it because actually, you know, as a hitter, when it, you know, I talk to those guys and they're like, I don't really think about exit velocity or anything because you know, and then you're not really gonna have your good swing on it, right? Yeah, so kind of speaking towards that, how how about your offense? Is it pretty feel pretty good going out to the mound out there when you have those guys coming to the plate for you?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it's not only about them going into the plate, but it's the defense behind me. I mean, those dudes are making great plays in the outfield, infield. Um, Bear's been outstanding behind the plate, and uh they'll just hit a hit a ground ball with the runner on first, you know it's gonna be a double play or five balls, it's like gonna be automatic out. But those dudes on offense are something else. I don't know what's going on, but they need to keep doing it.
SPEAKER_01Well, you got some big boys getting in the batteries, so it's pretty it's pretty impressive. I'm I'm assuming you faced them during the fall.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we faced them a lot in the fall. Um, there was one person I couldn't get out. I couldn't get Gavin out for some reason. Uh I got him out a couple times, but I think he's got my number pretty good.
SPEAKER_01Well, there's a few other pictures that could probably say that as well about Gavin. Yeah, thanks. Yeah. Well, so uh so Y A and M. How'd you end up here?
SPEAKER_00Um It was just I wanted to come here with great coaching staff, and I wanted to come to an NCC school that knew how to win. And uh I didn't really want to go anyway, go anywhere that was too far away from home in case I need to run home for something. And my parents, my parents get to come down every weekend for to watch me pitch, and if I went to somewhere across the country, they wouldn't be able to do that. So um I think it's kind of good for them that they get to come see me pitch. Um, because we don't know how long I'm gonna be able to do this, or you know, so they get to come down and watch me every weekend, they get to travel. They're actually in Florida right now on a little vacation before uh we go to Florida.
SPEAKER_01I'm a little bit jealous, but well, they're gonna probably meet you down there, right? They're gonna stay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they're gonna go down there and watch watch all the games and then they're gonna come back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, that's pretty cool. Well, I know uh when I was talking to Nico, he said one thing about you know, he goes, I go, What what would you tell somebody about the game? You know, and he's like, enjoy it, because you know, you're not gonna get these moments back, kind of like you know, like you said, you know, you know, that you guys want to be around each other, the culture's good, and the clubhouse or locker room dugout, everything looks like you guys really gel together. And uh, you know, I just think pitchers and hitters together, everybody it just it just the culture just seems amazing there. And I think once you you said you wanted to go because the school was close, it's kind of nice to have that situation there with the school that close, correct?
SPEAKER_00With the yeah, it kind of it kind of put things into perspective whenever uh Josh his his season was over. Um, I don't know if anybody knows this or not, but uh on my official visit, Josh was my my sophomore year high school, Josh was my my host on my official visit. So we've known each other for a really long time, and it it sucked to see him uh not be able to finish out his season, and it was kind of like putting things into perspective, like you don't know when you're gonna be able to throw your last pitch.
SPEAKER_01So I yeah, man, that's a great way to put it. I mean, is he able to come back for another year? Or did he get a you know uh I'm not sure.
SPEAKER_00We haven't really talked about that.
SPEAKER_01So yeah. So uh speaking of that, do you do you have roommates?
SPEAKER_00Um, I don't have any roommates. Uh I lived with Sawyer Farr last year. I lived with Sawyer Farr last year, and we live I have I live in a four-bedroom, but there's only two of us living here, and it's Sawyer's friend from high school. Um, we don't really see each other that much. He's pretty chill, pretty clean. So we're gonna try to me and me and Lyons are gonna try to get a uh in and uh be roommates next year. So we're trying to figure that out.
SPEAKER_01I was kind of wondering if Lions was your boy, because I know you did a uh you did a uh you did the interview, I think, the LSU after the game. Did you do that one uh during the game?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, during the game, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And and they asked you about grips or something, and you went, hey Lions, throw me a ball.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he's always rubbing my side. He he's little. We've gotten closer over the year because he also came back uh early in the summertime. I think that really helped him out too. So we were always lifting together, throwing together in the summer, working camps. So it was it was a good, it was a good time.
SPEAKER_01Well, I figured you guys were close because I think like aren't both of you like seven and oh or something like that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but yeah, but I guess that comes off with working hard.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, yeah, yeah. That's good, man. Keep it up. I mean, that's pretty impressive, though, seven and oh from the bullpen.
SPEAKER_00I mean, yeah, that is crazy. That is crazy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's really that's pretty cool, though. So well, uh, so did you have a now? I know you're up here in what forny? Yes. Okay, well, see, I'm from Dallas, so when I I was only like three or three hours away, too. So I went to Richardson, Lake Highlands. If you kind of heard of that, yeah, I know, yeah, yeah. That was my area, but uh yeah, so I get that about being close for sure. That was one reason that I wanted to stay in the state, it was because it's just close. And then when it came down between AM and Texas, I visited Texas and uh didn't like it. Yeah, you know, ended up at AM, so it worked out well. What about uh uh so favorite team, favorite player growing up?
SPEAKER_00Um I don't really have a favorite team, but uh I I watched the Rangers a little bit, but this is gonna This is kind of weird. I my parents love the Rangers and the Cowboys and all them. So if any if they're playing anybody, I just hope that they lose for some reason. But watching the Rangers won the World Series was pretty cool. So we we would we would watch the World Series. I was kind of rooting for them whenever they were in the World Series. But uh I think one of my favorite pitchers uh was Tyler Glass now. I don't know why, I've just been watching him forever. But I think uh the older I've gotten, I've kind of watched some stuff about Tariq Scuble and his mindset and his way he goes about things is awesome. So I think I'm I think he's one of my favorite players too.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's cool. Uh Bruce Bochi was my manager in San Diego, so I had to, you know, I was pulling for them and everything. So you know that was cool to have him in town, right? Other than that, I never really grew up a Ranger fan because you know, you know, coming from Fourny, if you're going to Ranger Stadium, Six Flags was there before it, and we usually just went there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, basically, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right next to us before it, you know, before you get there. So that was pretty funny. But um, I won't keep you much longer. I know you got stuff to do. Um, I've you might have just already said it, but who would you pay money to see pitch? Who would you see? Like if you could sit there and watch anybody from any team, who would you pay to see pitch and why? Who would be your guy?
SPEAKER_00Um, I've really been scrolling on Twitter and liking Nolan McLean's stuff, the way he's able to move the ball. And this the spin rate really doesn't mean anything, but it ah, people are all caught up in spin rate and stuff, but the way he can make the ball go different directions, it's kind of like it just goes like both the balls are going, and then it's just it veers off like that. I would want to see that in person and then look at uh some of his pitch scripts and whatnot, see how he does it, see how he goes about things.
SPEAKER_01Okay, that's cool. Uh thoughts on ABS.
SPEAKER_00Um It could go both ways. Um I don't know if like if you throw a strike and they challenge it and it's a ball, obviously you're gonna be mad. But if it's a ball and they call it a strike, then it's gonna go either way. But I mean, I don't really have a problem with it. Um it's in the zone, so it's a strike, or if it's out of the zone, it's a ball. So I think it's you should I don't know how the rules work, but I think you get two challenges for is it one for two for offense and two for defense, or is it I think so, yeah. Yeah, I think that's fine. I mean, I don't have a problem with it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I just think about you know, when I played, I'm looking at you know, you could throw it a little bit off the plate, you know. It's kind of up to the umpire, actually. Sometimes they were calling it eight inches off the plate or six inches off the plate. I kind of feel like it benefits the hitter because you know it's in that little box, that little string that my dad put together a long time ago, right? It's like yeah, I kind of just feel like it benefits the hitter. I I don't know. I I like seeing you know the Greg Maddoxes and those guys that could just man, they could throw like a ball or two off the plate, right? And uh just had great control off the plate.
SPEAKER_00And yeah, I think it does kind of benefit the hitter now that you say that too. Because I mean, if it's in the zone, they're most likely gonna swing at it unless it's just I've seen all those ones where it's like barely like less than 0.1 touching or less than 0.1 off. So I don't, I mean, you can't expect that umpire to get that right. I mean, I mean that is their job, but 0.1, I don't think anybody's gonna be able to get that.
SPEAKER_01No, I I agree with you, but so being a pitcher in college, would you want to see it in college?
SPEAKER_00Um, to me, I wouldn't be the one doing the challenging. I would leave it up to somebody else because if I messed it up, I would feel horrible. So I would want, I would want like if I was throwing Bear, because Bear has a better feel of the strike zone. Like sometimes I throw a pitch and we go inside the dugout, and I'm like, hey, was that a strike? He was like, No, that was just barely off. Or he's like, Yeah, that was a strike, the umpire missed it or whatnot. But like, I think all obviously all the ones that are near the zone, I think are gonna be strikes. But I'm a pitcher, I want the strikes. Bear's honest with me and behind the plate, and he tells me if it's gonna be a strike or if it was a ball or not. So I would I would leave it up to him.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. If seeing Pat his helmet, I would I I I I enjoy watching you pitch, man. I like seeing I kind of feel like you got some Bugs Bunny pitches that move all over the place, and it's and there's still strikes, man. It's awesome. It's so great. Thank you. So uh last thing here. So, what would you what kind of advice would you give to like a younger pitcher coming up, like how to kind of train? You know, we're going through some injuries and Tommy Johns and all that stuff. Is there, you know, you got guys playing pitching so many pitches, so many games, and playing all summer and all fall. What what would you kind of say to that young kid or that parent of a young kid that's kind of like, well, we don't know really what to do?
SPEAKER_00Um obviously the biggest thing is have fun. Um, you don't, like I said, you don't know how long you're gonna be able to play. Some kids don't get to play in high school, or some kids don't get to play in college, but um just take care of your body. No, you your body knows when you're feeling good or when you're feeling bad. Don't don't overdo anything. Um, I kind of had a little bit of that whenever I was in uh high school. Um, whenever I hurt my elbow, I kind of pitched through it, and I was just so competitive that I didn't want to stop playing. And I feel like that's every baseball player, they're gonna try to play through anything that they can, but just listen to your body is the biggest thing.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Well, one more thing I have to ask you. You know, as a hitter, so did you hit at 40?
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, come on.
SPEAKER_01Oh, come okay. Well then come on, give me some stats. Let's go. I mean, you're gonna say come on.
SPEAKER_00I don't know about my stats, but I did well.
SPEAKER_01Don't just say come on then.
SPEAKER_00The only two stats I remember is I hit two 3-0 homers in high school.
SPEAKER_01Wait, you swung three?
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah. One okay, so one and no problem. No problem. One of them we were playing, it was in the playoffs. I was throwing the game. It was like the fourth inning. Runners on first and second or second and third. And I look over at my coach and he gives me the green light. I'm like, oh yeah. We were facing we were facing a pretty good pitcher.
SPEAKER_01And uh wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Where'd you hit in the lineup?
SPEAKER_00I was three.
SPEAKER_01Oh, oh, come on. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I was I was usually two or three, and uh, he gave me the green light, and I just I had the biggest light kick of my life. I can still remember it to this day, and I hit it over the fence, and we ended up winning the game three to zero, so it was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_01So, were you right-handed or left-handed?
SPEAKER_00I was left-handed.
SPEAKER_01Oh, nice, okay. So am I. I like that. I like that. Okay, well, that's cool. That's funny. You said, Come on, let's go. Let's do it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, I think hitting was so fun. Like, I would always get so mad whenever uh I was on deck and the last out of the game was made, and I wouldn't have been able to hit. I was like, like, come on, I want I want to get up there and hit one more time.
SPEAKER_01That's funny. That's fun. I'll let you go, man. I appreciate it, and I really enjoy watching you and wish you continued success and best of luck and everything. And let's do this again, man. It's fun.
SPEAKER_00Well, that was awesome. Yeah, thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01All right, big shout out to Aiden Sims for taking time out to hang with the Ball Five Podcast. What a super young man, solid dude. All right, folks, that's it. Thanks for listening.