Chandler Simpson

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #4 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Medium
  
  Track Record: Simpson’s 198 stolen bases over the past two seasons is 68 more than any other minor leaguer, and he did it with an 86% success rate. He led Division I with a .433 batting average for Georgia Tech in 2022 and won the minor league batting title at .355 in 2024, making him the only player in the past 40 years to have both a D-I and MiLB batting title. He hit .455 while going 9-for-9 on stolen bases for USA Baseball at the Premier12 world championships to end his 2024 season.
  
  Scouting Report: Simpson is a man of extremes. He’s a top-of-the-scale runner with bottom-of-scale power. His lone home run as a pro was an inside-the-parker. It’s hard to be a .300 hitter with 20 power, but Simpson’s speed and bat control make it possible. With his short stroke, Simpson makes tons of contact. His 9% swing-and-miss rate was best among all minor league qualifiers. He can pull the ball when pitchers try to work inside, but he’s best when they stay away. Simpson hit .452 on balls on the outer third of the strike zone because he slaps the ball to left field so adeptly. Defensively, Simpson moved from second base in college to the outfield as a pro. Despite his great speed, he’s had to work hard to become a fringe-average defender in center field. His first step and routes need to improve, but if he fixes those, his speed could make him a special defender. His arm is well-below-average.
  
  The Future: Simpson’s MLB role will depend significantly on continued defensive improvement. His hitting ability gives him a higher ceiling than most speedsters, but to be a regular, his glove needs to keep improving. The Rays’ hope is that he can develop into a Juan Pierre-type who hits close to .300 while leading the league in steals.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 70 | Power: 20 | Run: 80 | Field: 45 | Arm: 30.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #19 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: In his first year at Georgia Tech in 2022, Simpson led Division I in batting when he hit .433/.506/.517. In his first full season in pro ball, Simpson led the minors with 94 steals. He actually tied his good friend and Cardinals prospect Victor Scott II for the title, continuing a friendly basestealing rivalry they’ve had stretching back to their days in the summer wood bat Northwoods League. Back then Simpson edged Scott for the stolen base crown by stealing a league-record 55 bags.
  
  Scouting Report: Simpson’s exceptional speed makes it easy to overlook the fact that he’s actually a smart and effective hitter. He rarely swings at pitches outside of the strike zone, and his bat-to-ball skills are well above-average. Simpson posted one of the best contact rates in the minors and walked more than he struck out in 2023. He fully understands that any time he’s swinging for the fences, he’s helping the pitcher—he has one home run in the past four years between college and pro ball. Most of his hits land in front of outfielders. But he doesn’t get the bat knocked out of his hand. Simpson’s well below-average arm was unplayable in the infield, so the Rays immediately moved him to center field as a pro. He projects as a plus defender thanks largely to his top-of-the-scale speed.
  
  The Future: Simpson’s speed evokes comparisons to Terrance Gore and Billy Hamilton, but his hitting ability gives him a better shot at a regular or semi-regular role. While former Vanderbilt star and 2023 first-rounder Enrique Bradfield Jr. is more famous than Simpson, the pair shares a lot of similarities.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 20 | Run: 80 | Field: 60 | Arm: 30
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #22 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Georgia Tech's single-season batting average leaderboard is a remarkable who's who. Jay Payton's .434 is the Yellow Jackets' single-season record. Coming into 2022, Mark Teixeira, Nomar Garciaparra, Riccardo Ingram and Jason Varitek were the rest of the top five. But Simpson, a transfer from Alabama-Birmingham, just missed breaking Payton's record with a .433 junior season that led the nation by 22 points.
  
  Scouting Report: Simpson is a true throwback as a contact hitter who relies heavily on his top-of-the-scale speed. His speed is a true game changer. He scored from second on a sacrifice fly in a college game in 2022 without an error. He also was one of the hardest hitters in college baseball to strike out. Simpson played second base in college, where his sidearm throwing motion was somewhat stressed. The Rays moved him to left field immediately, where he has the speed to cover massive amounts of ground. He could
  
  The Future: Simpson is the type of player who barely exists in the current pro game. He has bottom-of-the-scale power, but he has the speed to beat out hits on ground balls hit to shortstop or third base. The new pickoff rules, pitch clock and bigger bases all should help Simpson raise havoc on the basepaths.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 20. Run: 80. Field: 55. Arm: 45.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #88 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Georgia Tech Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.7
  BA Grade: 45/High
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 20 | Run: 80 | Field: 50 | Arm: 40
  In a game now dominated by power, Simpson is the rare player who changes the game with his speed. A top-of-the-scale runner, Simpson scored from second on a sacrifice fly this year. A transfer from Alabama-Birmingham, Simpson led the nation with a .433 batting average and his .509 on-base percentage was ninth best in the country. In the Northwoods League in 2021, he finished second in batting (.377) and first in steals (55 in 51 games). In each of the past two years he’s ranked among the nation’s toughest hitters to strike out. Of the 618 fastballs he saw in 2022, he swung and missed just nine times. Simpson has bottom-of-the-scale power. His game is all about bunts, bloops and line drives to the gap and he lets his swing get big. Simpson split time between shortstop and second base in college, but he’s a second baseman in pro ball because of his arm. He has below-average arm strength, and his accuracy is hindered by an awkward, sidearm throwing motion. He does have the range, feet and hands to stick at second. Simpson’s rare combination of speed and contact ability stand out and make him a likely second- or third-round pick.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Georgia Tech's single-season batting average leaderboard is a remarkable who's who. Jay Payton's .434 is the Yellow Jackets' single-season record. Coming into 2022, Mark Teixeira, Nomar Garciaparra, Riccardo Ingram and Jason Varitek were the rest of the top five. But Simpson, a transfer from Alabama-Birmingham, just missed breaking Payton's record with a .433 junior season that led the nation by 22 points.
  
  Scouting Report: Simpson is a true throwback as a contact hitter who relies heavily on his top-of-the-scale speed. His speed is a true game changer. He scored from second on a sacrifice fly in a college game in 2022 without an error. He also was one of the hardest hitters in college baseball to strike out. Simpson played second base in college, where his sidearm throwing motion was somewhat stressed. The Rays moved him to left field immediately, where he has the speed to cover massive amounts of ground. He could
  
  The Future: Simpson is the type of player who barely exists in the current pro game. He has bottom-of-the-scale power, but he has the speed to beat out hits on ground balls hit to shortstop or third base. The new pickoff rules, pitch clock and bigger bases all should help Simpson raise havoc on the basepaths.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 20. Run: 80. Field: 55. Arm: 45.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Georgia Tech's single-season batting average leaderboard is a remarkable who's who. Jay Payton's .434 is the Yellow Jackets' single-season record. Coming into 2022, Mark Teixeira, Nomar Garciaparra, Riccardo Ingram and Jason Varitek were the rest of the top five. But Simpson, a transfer from Alabama-Birmingham, just missed breaking Payton's record with a .433 junior season that led the nation by 22 points.
  
  Scouting Report: Simpson is a true throwback as a contact hitter who relies heavily on his top-of-the-scale speed. His speed is a true game changer. He scored from second on a sacrifice fly in a college game in 2022 without an error. He also was one of the hardest hitters in college baseball to strike out. Simpson played second base in college, where his sidearm throwing motion was somewhat stressed. The Rays moved him to left field immediately, where he has the speed to cover massive amounts of ground. He could
  
  The Future: Simpson is the type of player who barely exists in the current pro game. He has bottom-of-the-scale power, but he has the speed to beat out hits on ground balls hit to shortstop or third base. The new pickoff rules, pitch clock and bigger bases all should help Simpson raise havoc on the basepaths.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 20. Run: 80. Field: 55. Arm: 45.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  August Update: In a game now dominated by power, Simpson is the rare player who changes the game with his speed. A top-of-the-scale runner, Simpson scored from second on a sacrifice fly this year. A transfer from Alabama-Birmingham, Simpson led the nation with a .433 batting average and his .509 on-base percentage was ninth best in the country. In the Northwoods League in 2021, he finished second in batting (.377) and first in steals (55 in 51 games). In each of the past two years he&#39s ranked among the nation&#39s toughest hitters to strike out. Of the 618 fastballs he saw in 2022, he swung and missed just nine times. Simpson has bottom-of-the-scale power. His game is all about bunts, bloops and line drives to the gap and he lets his swing get big. Simpson split time between shortstop and second base in college, but he&#39s a second baseman in pro ball because of his arm. He has below-average arm strength, and his accuracy is hindered by an awkward, sidearm throwing motion. He does have the range, feet and hands to stick at second.