ANOTHER BISCUIT ALL-STAR: Simpson chosen for annual Futures game
Biscuits outfielder Chandler Simpson has burst onto the scene, leading Minor League baseball in stolen bases. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Chandler Simpson almost fell through the cracks.
The Montgomery Biscuits are certainly glad he didn’t.
He was rated one of the top shortstops in the state of Georgia as he prepared for his senior season at St. Pius X High in the Atlanta suburb of East Point, yet had just one Division I-A offer.
“I was playing travel ball and hoping to go D-I like everybody else,” Simpson recalled. “I was playing in Perfect Game tournaments all summer and Perry Roth saw me at one of the games, texted my phone and invited me for a visit. I got an offer from them and it was my only D-I offer, so that’s how I wound up there.”
Roth was the recruiting coordinator for UAB baseball coach Brian Shoop and took over the program in 2021 after Shoop retired. Simpson might not have been on anybody else’s radar, but he has a simple explanation for the recruiting snub.
“I wasn’t that tall in high school, about 5-foot-7,” he said. “I was a late bloomer. The speed wasn’t all the way there yet. All of it happened at UAB.”
He played in a few games for the Blazers in 2020 before Covid shut down the nation, then exploded in 2021. The starting second baseman earned Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors with a conference-leading 24 stolen bases and 47 starts in 54 games. He was second on the team with a .288 batting average and was one of the toughest outs in the nation with just 16 strikeouts.
He transferred to Georgia Tech for the 2022 season and earned second team All-American honors after leading the nation with a .433 batting average.
But when the Rays came calling with an offer to draft Simpson in the second round, they proposed that the Yellow Jackets’ second baseman, who had played every day of his baseball career at either second base or shortstop, be converted to the outfield.
“When I got the call, my agent was like, ‘The Rays have picked you, but they want you as an outfielder,’” Simpson said. “I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ He was like, ‘Think about it.’ I was like, ‘I don’t have to think about it, let’s do it, I can make the transition.’
“When I got to the Rays and learned how good of a developmental program they had within the organization, I felt like they would do right by me and my skills. I feel like I’m an athlete and I’m going to bet on myself 100 percent of the time, so when they said you’re an outfielder, I feel like I can make that transition right when they tell me.”
He has, emerging in his two professional seasons as one of the top prospects in the Rays’ organization. In 2023, Simpson split time between Bowling Green and Charleston and tied for the minor-league lead with 94 stolen bases in 115 games, recording more walks (55) than strikeouts (44).
Last week, Simpson was chosen to participate in the MLB All-Star Futures Game as part of the weekend festivities leading up to the 94th Midsummer Classic in Arlington on July 16. Simpson follows Junior Caminero, Taj Bradley, Shane Baz, all Biscuits who were chosen in the last three seasons.
In 2024, Simpson has split time between Bowling Green and Montgomery and leads the minor leagues with 53 stolen bases in 58 games. His 31 stolen bases for the Biscuits in the final 32 games of the first half of the season is just six shy of the club record.
“He’s green (lighted to steal bases at any time),” Montgomery manager Kevin Boles said. “A lot of our players have the green light, but with him in particular, we want him to make mistakes here. We want that to happen because we would rather have it happen here and he learns from it than having it happen at Tropicana Field.”
The same thing can be said about Simpson’s move to the outfield.
“He has the closing speed,” Boles said. “He’s getting better as far as his first initial step. Whether it’s on the bases or on defense, he’s one of those rare guys that can get to his top speed in three or four steps. As far as throwing, we’re making sure that he’s getting his arm accuracy and his arm strength up a little bit. There are some things we need to work on, but the first impressions have been terrific.”
Simpson said there’s “a learning curve” to being an outfielder for the Biscuits, but he accepts advice from everyone.
“It’s a process because there’s a lot more to outfield than people actually think it is,” Simpson said. “It’s not as easy as it looks. I talked to everybody I could. One of my good friends, Victor Scott, I talk to him all the time about outfield. I’ve talked to teammates, everything, just to get more information and get better at it.
Scott, who grew up not far from Simpson in Powder Springs, Ga., entered the 2022 draft with Simpson and both shared the minor-league lead with 94 stolen bases each in 2023 as Scott went from Single-A to Double-A that season. He is currently at Triple-A Memphis.
As for Simpson, he has chatted with Scott about the move from Single-A to Double-A as he makes that transition a year after his friend in the Cardinals’ organization.
“They play defense really well up here,” Simpson said. “The catchers are better, the pitchers are better with their stuff. I’m just trying to make sure I stay in my same approach, stay true to who I am and just take it day by day.”