DECEMBER 03, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A23
Sim with his mother after a Volcanoes game in 2015.
JUCO,
Continued from page A15
University, where he became a fan
favorite. In 2010, he was selected as a
catcher by the San Francisco Giants in
the 27th round of the MLB Draft.
Sim spent fi ve years in the Giants
system, never advancing past Single-A
ball and struggling at the plate.
In 2015, when Sim spent the season
with the Volcanoes, he was convinced
by Matt Yourkin, the Volcanoes pitch-
ing coach, to make the transition from
Submitted photo
catcher to pitcher.
“I had never pitched in my life. But
I was struggling in low A-ball so I
decided to give it a try. I was pitching
95 percent fastballs, but I was throw-
ing 90 (MPH),” Sim said. “I had a great
time in Keizer. Those memories will
never leave.”
Sim made 26 appearances as a
relief pitcher in 2015, throwing 32
innings and posting a 2.53 ERA with 32
strikeouts.
Along with having some moder-
ate success on the mound, Sim says
becoming a pitcher gave him a new-
found swagger on the fi eld.
“Pitching is a whole other ball game.
You start the game with the ball. You
have to have this attitude that you are
the best in the world,” Sim said. “There
has to be a dog mentality there. You
need to be the hunter and have to be
able to fl ip the switch.”
Sim played one season of indepen-
dent ball before offi cially retiring. He
returned home to Canada as a 27-year
old with only $500 in his checking
account. He worked as a bartender for a
few years before his itch to train again
was overwhelming.
After minimal exercise since his
playing days ended, Sim only hit 77
MPH on the radar gun while throwing
at a park. He was incredibly displeased
with the result, and over the next year,
Sim began training in a cement facility
he called “the prison cage” to get back
into shape.
“I wasn't doing it for anyone. I was
just having fun with it,” Sim said. “I was
training for myself and my enjoyment.”
Partnered with a no-nonsense atti-
tude and NSFW commentary, Sim
began to gain a substantial amount
of viewers. But his following went
through the roof when he started, and
completed, the 95-or-die challenge.
In June of last year, Sim began his
quest to throw 95 MPH.
After clocking in at 87 MPH, Sim
worked tirelessly through a weight lift-
ing regimen and throwing program to
try and hit 95 MPH — harder than he
ever threw as a player.
In November 2020, Sim reached his
mark, and celebrated accordingly.
“I was so psyched. It took me 151
days to get to 95 and I enjoyed every
single day,” Sim said. “I wanted to do
whatever it took to be the best version
of myself in baseball. I didn't want to
throw 77 just like everyone else. I felt
like I had a unique mentality and I
wasn't afraid to speak up. And I felt like
people started taking notice.”
Over the last several months, Sim
has created a variety of popular vid-
eos, ranging from velocity challenges
with college baseball players, to try-
ing to out-bench press a professional
shot-putter — most of his videos receive
tens of thousands of views.
Sim didn't even realize how popu-
lar he had become until he went to a
Chicago White Sox game with former
big leaguer Jonny Gomes.
Gomes played for eight teams over
his 13-year career, but went unrecog-
nized when he and Sim walked into
the stadium. However, when Sim was
spotted, dozens of youngsters fl ocked
to him asking for an autograph.
“It was pretty crazy. No one recog-
nized him. But so many kids came up
to me and I was giving them signa-
tures,” Sim said.
Since rising to fame, Sim has used
his platform to be an advocate for
minor league baseball players receiv-
ing better pay. When he was a player,
Sim shared stories of living in a
three-bedroom house with seven other
players and often eating peanut butter
sandwiches for dinner.
“Stuff like that shouldn't happen.
They need to be paid a livable wage so
they can focus on baseball and produce
for their organizations,” Sim said.
With Major League Baseball
announcing that they would pay for
minor league players' housing, along
with salary increases, starting next sea-
son, Sim is encouraged that the trend is
heading in the right direction, but says
there is still work to be done.
“I'm so glad it's changing but we still
have a long way to go. I am going to
keep speaking up for them. They need
to at least be making minimum wage,”
Sim said.
Sim says that he has found his pas-
sion as a content creator, and he isn't
planning on slowing down any time
soon.
“With content, the sky's the limit,”
Sim said. “I'm going to do this until I
can't anymore.”
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