{"id":429711,"date":"2026-10-16T18:18:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T18:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/429711\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T18:18:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T18:18:22","slug":"tampa-bay-rays-outfielder-chandler-simpson-is-a-modern-baseball-outlier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/429711\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson is a modern baseball outlier"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND \u2014 Call Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> outfielder Chandler Simpson<\/a> a throwback.<\/p>\n

In a game obsessed with launch angles, exit velocity and home runs, Simpson is making his mark by putting the ball in play, hitting for average and using elite speed to create havoc on the basepaths. <\/p>\n

That style carried Simpson to the major leagues and through a 2026 regular season in which he hit .306, led the American League with 46 stolen bases and became a Gold Glove finalist.<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, on baseball\u2019s postseason stage, the 25-year-old is showing why putting the ball in play can be just as disruptive as sending it over the fence.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis bat-to-ball skills are elite,\u201d Rays manager Kevin Cash said. \u201cThe speed puts pressure on every defender on the field. He\u2019s an outlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simpson, who is 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, has provided examples during the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians, turning seemingly ordinary plays into opportunities for the Rays, who trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series entering Friday\u2019s Game 4.<\/p>\n

In Game 2, his two-out infield hit in the fourth inning put runners at first and third, extending an inning that eventually produced three unearned runs and helped Tampa Bay even the series 1-1.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, with the Rays trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning, Simpson delivered a two-run triple to right field. The hit gave Tampa Bay momentum, but Cleveland rallied for the 3-2 victory.<\/p>\n

For Simpson, the approach isn\u2019t something he adopted to stand out in today\u2019s power-driven game. It\u2019s how he\u2019s played baseball for as long as he can remember.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was always preached to me that power wasn\u2019t going to be my game,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cSo from an early age, coaches, my younger coaches, were just like, \u2018You\u2019re going to have to play the speed game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of swinging for homers, Simpson embraced the tools that made him different. Even as baseball increasingly rewarded power, he remained true to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just leaning into my strengths, because if I\u2019m 100 percent focused on that, then it gives me the best chance to be successful for the team,\u201d Simpson said.<\/p>\n

\"ChandlerSimpson on his strengths: \u201cIt was always preached to me that power wasn\u2019t going to be my game. So from an early age, coaches, my younger coaches, were just like, \u2018You\u2019re going to have to play the speed game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Simpson\u2019s path for success was developed at home in Georgia by his father, Dr. Ralph Simpson, a school administrator, and his mother, Dr. Edye Simpson, a school principal. <\/p>\n

\u201cI learned time management and responsibility from my parents,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cThey taught me work ethic and drive when it comes to education. I use those same principles in baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n

This also meant a deep study of the game by watching hours of players Simpson tried to emulate, such as Dee Strange-Gordon and Billy Hamilton \u2014 former big-leaguers renowned for elite speed and baserunning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI embraced their skill set and incorporated that into my style of play,\u201d Simpson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Simpson was raised in the hotbed of Black baseball in the Atlanta<\/a> area, led by men such as former major leaguer Marquis Grissom, who founded the Marquis Grissom Baseball Association<\/a> (MGBA).<\/p>\n

The travel baseball teams Grissom has sponsored and mentorship he has provided has produced many professional players, including Simpson, Michael Harris II (Atlanta Braves) and Lawrence Butler (Athletics).<\/p>\n

Grissom trains many of his players on land he owns that features a 180-yard incline. The players formed a group called \u201cThe Hill Boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Hill Boys select group is guys who really come and grind and work their ass off during the offseason to get better, to try to get to that next level,\u201d Grissom said. \u201cAnd Chandler is an example of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Simpson, the grueling workouts are essential to maintaining the speed that has become his trademark.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust really strength-wise, legs, getting ready for a long 162-game season, spring training and postseason as well,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cSo, making sure that we\u2019re conditioned, making sure we\u2019re strong in the lower half \u2014 because that\u2019s the first thing that really starts to go throughout the course of a season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Kenny<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tKenny Lofton helps remember Black baseball’s Cleveland Buckeyes \u2013 Andscape\t\t\t\tRead now
\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Cleveland All-Star Kenny Lofton, 59, appreciates that Simpson represents a style that has become increasingly rare in baseball, where home runs often overshadow speed, contact hitting and manufacturing runs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to see somebody like him showing what he can do and bringing speed back to the game,\u201d said Lofton, who stole 622 bases during his 17-year MLB career, ranking 15th on the all-time leaderboard. <\/p>\n

But there\u2019s still the issue of baseball\u2019s emphasis on power for Lofton, and it has come at the expense of players who rely on speed and putting the ball in play. He argues teams are less willing to invest in players whose strengths don\u2019t include hitting home runs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you put the ball in play, a lot of good things can happen,\u201d Lofton said. \u201cWhen you don\u2019t put the ball in play, can\u2019t nothing happen. You can\u2019t even have a guy make an error.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lofton hopes Simpson\u2019s style can help change that thinking, which could lead to general managers adding more of these types of players to their rosters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have a couple of Chandlers on my team,\u201d Lofton said. \u201cAnd I would put some guys on my team who know how to put the ball in play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KennyFormer Cleveland All-Star Kenny Lofton (above) is a fan of Chandler Simpson. \u201cIt\u2019s great to see somebody like him showing what he can do and bringing speed back to the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Focus on Sport\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Simpson doesn\u2019t want to change baseball\u2019s emphasis on home runs and power. He said there\u2019s room for players who succeed differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that power is the mantra of how the game is played today, but I feel like you can play the game with bunts, baserunning, defense, contact \u2014 how the game was originally invented to be played,\u201d Simpson said.<\/p>\n

For young players who don\u2019t possess the power that today\u2019s game often celebrates, Simpson hopes his journey provides encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just glad that I can be an influence and inspiration to other kids that have my style of play and feel like it won\u2019t translate to the next level,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cThat it can [translate], and they can go all the way as well.\u201d <\/p>\n

Twenty-seven years ago, a popular Nike commercial featuring then-Atlanta Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine delivered a memorable line about baseball\u2019s fascination with home runs: \u201cChicks dig the long ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simpson offered a different perspective when asked about the famous slogan nearly three decades later. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care what they [dig],\u201d Simpson said with a grin. \u201cI know the short ball can win games, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Branson Wright is a filmmaker and freelance multimedia sports reporter. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND \u2014 Call Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson a throwback. In a game obsessed with launch angles,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-429711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}