Pete Gray played a whole big-league season as a one-armed outfielder. Bert Shepard pitched one game in the majors on a wooden prosthetic leg.
But neither one had anything on congenital quad amputee Landis Sims, who plays for the varsity nine at South Central High School in Elizabeth, Indiana. A sophomore second baseman with a potent left-handed stroke, Sims has seemed destined for diamond glory since the age of seven, when he met his baseball idol—Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter—at the Yankees’ spring-training facility.
His journey unfolds in Landis: Just Watch Me, a new documentary that debuts online July 12. Shot by award-winning filmmaker Eric Cochran, the project follows Sims from backyard batting tees to Little League fields to high school tournaments, with occasional detours to David Rotter’s prosthetic clinic and various major league clubhouses, stadiums, and broadcast studios.
“I hope the movie will give inspiration to amputees who may not have confidence in themselves,” Sims says. “My family taught me that I’m going to fail at some things, and I just have to adapt and work through it.”
That advice resonates whether you’re playing baseball—where even the best hitters fail 70 percent of the time—or living with a disability.
You can watch Landis: Just Watch Me on major streaming platforms and cable on-demand services beginning July 12. For more information, visit landismovie.com.
