Big League Dreams: Nate Simon
12/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MALIBU, Calif. - Nate Simon's Jamestown Jammers are a Class A affiliate of the Florida Marlins who, like Nathan Newman's Oneonta Tigers, play in the New York Penn League. They play in the NYP Pinckney Division and finished with an overall record of 34-42, 15 games back of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians affiliate). Nathan Newman
Simon was chosen in the 27th round of the 2009 MLB draft by the Florida Marlins, making him only the second Wave to be drafted by Florida (Chris Sheff, '92). He completed the 2009 season for Pepperdine with a .317 batting average, .532 slugging percentage, a team-leading nine home runs and 51 RBIs. His efforts earned him a spot on the All-WCC First Team.
"It was a great honor to be drafted," Simon said, who started off in rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League playing for the GCL Marlins in Florida before being promoted to Jamestown after just one week.
"It was a good time up there (in Jamestown). It was a tiny town in the middle of nowhere," added Simon. "I enjoyed it but I missed being in Los Angeles. But I did enjoy my trips to large cities."
After a slow start at the plate, Simon had his first hit on July 5 vs. Mahoning Valley while playing right field. He struggled during his first summer in the minor leagues as he batted .213 in only 80 plate appearances. However, Simon finished the season strong batting .308 over his last 10 games.
One of his favorite experiences was playing against the Cyclones (New York Mets affiliate) in Brooklyn, N.Y., where tons of fans came out and provided a loud and boisterous atmosphere.
"It was a great environment to play baseball," said Simon.
During this off-season, Simon is back at Pepperdine to complete his undergraduate degree by December. He is preparing for Spring Training in Jupiter, FL, with the Marlins by doing the same workouts as he did at Pepperdine along with the recommended ones from Florida.
"I need to get bigger, faster and stronger," said Simon. "Just keep practicing and staying committed."
