06-05-2025
Tampa Bay Rays Rookie Achieves Rare Feat Not Seen Since 2009
The Tampa Bay Rays have an exciting young team, which has become their standard operating procedure for nearly 20 years.
They are one of Major League Baseball's preeminent pitching factories, capable of developing young arms to be elite or turning around the careers of struggling veterans whenever necessary.
Advertisement
Their development does not end with pitching, however, as their position player group is mostly homegrown as well. This includes a recent call-up, centerfielder Chandler Simpson.
Simpson, 24, was selected by the Rays in the second round of the 2022 MLB draft. He quickly made a name for himself in the minor leagues with his immense speed, swiping 214 bags in four seasons across just 250 games.
The excitement was not left behind in the minors upon his call to The Show, either. Through his first 14 games, the outfielder has batted .296/.333/.315 with four RBI, six stolen bases and an 88 OPS+.
Part of that line holds a historic pace. Simpson is the first player since Julio Borbon in 2009 with the Texas Rangers to have 15 or more singles and six or more stolen bases through the first 14 games of a Major League career.
Advertisement
Now, Borbon did not do much else during his tenure in Major League Baseball, but Simpson should stick around for some time. The young outfielder may not provide much power, but he has elite bat-to-ball skills, and his speed gives him the ability to stretch any single into the outfield into a double if necessary.
His speed helped break a scoreless tie on Sunday with the New York Yankees, as well. With one out in the top of the second, Tampa Bay was threatening with the bases loaded. Simpson hit an easy double-play ball to second baseman Pablo Reyes, but the Yankees could not turn the double play quickly enough, with Simpson beating the throw back to first, and Travis Jankowski scoring from third with ease.
Speed kills, as they say, and Simpson may be one of the fastest to ever do it. It is going to be fun to watch him progress throughout his career and see just how many stolen bases he winds up with when all is said and done.
