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Chandler Simpson Showing He Isn’t Just Fast, He Can Also Hit

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The Tampa Bay Rays have amassed the fourth-most wins in Major League Baseball since 2008 because they are fundamentally sound. Don’t underestimate the Rays’ ability to pitch, defend, and run. They aren’t blessed with an inordinate amount of resources or star players, but they make up for that deficit in a multitude of other ways.

The Rays are pitching and defending at a high level this season. They have now injected the speed element into the equation. They are leading baseball in stolen bases (71) and feature the sport’s most prolific speed demon. Chandler Simpson is responsible for 14 of those thefts and is a sight to behold. His 29.9 feet per second sprint speed is tops in baseball and he is quickly becoming a household name.

Simpson was drafted by the Rays with the 70th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech University. He stole 94 and 104 bases in his first two years in the Rays minor league system. He was called up on April 18 and hit the ground running.

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Chandler Simpson Showing He Can Hit As Well as Fly Around the Bases

Speed is only good if you can make something out of it. He’s different from someone like Terrance Gore, a speedster who only brought that skill to the table. Gore played in 112 regular season games, but stole a whopping 43 bases over parts of eight seasons. Chandler Simpson, on the other hand, is now taking the next step in his progression, and getting hit after hit. He is slashing a stout .296/.319/.333 with 11 RBI in his first 31 games with the Rays. Ironically enough, Simpson has yet to record a triple. Simpson is infamous for a lack of home run power, but it’s still only 29 games into his career. Wait until he plays games at some of the more spacious ballparks around the league!

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He was in the middle of a 10-run inning for the Rays with an RBI single as the Rays trounced the Toronto Blue Jays 13-0. He is hitting .367 with five RBI and four runs scored over his last 10 games, a period in which the Rays have posted a 7-3 record. Simpson already has eight two-hit games this season and is comfortable spraying the ball around the diamond. He is striking out a lot and drawing few walks, but Simpson is still finding himself as an offensive threat. An elevated ground ball rate may not necessarily be a bad thing for the native of Georgia given his speed.

Subpar Defense Not Enough to Hurt His Overall Talent.

Simpson’s defense leaves something to be desired with a -3 Outs Above Average this season. Simpson has played the lion’s share of his defense in center field and left field. His presence has proven valuable as the Rays navigated injury absences to Richie Palacios, Josh Lowe, and Jonny DeLuca. If Simpson keeps hitting, the Rays will find a way to shoehorn his bat into a lineup that needs everything possible to compete in the American League East. The Rays are fortunate to have elite defenders elsewhere around the diamond and not feel the impact of Simpson’s subpar defense.

Can Simpson Make History?

Simpson is still only 24 years old and just getting started. He’s doing amazing things for a team that doesn’t typically accrue a huge profile on the national level. That should be changing, as Simpson makes a name for himself with his speed. The single-season record for stolen bases in the modern era was the 130 stolen bases by Rickey Henderson in 1982 for the Oakland Athletics. Anything is possible when you have that kind of game-changing speed. Infielders feel rushed in order to throw him out and pitchers become queasy once he reaches first base. Simpson is a perfect embodiment of why the Rays keep finding new and entertaining ways to win games.

 

Photo Credit: © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The post Chandler Simpson Showing He Isn’t Just Fast, He Can Also Hit appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.