The Tampa Bay Rays’ newest outfielder is unlike anyone else in professional baseball.
Chandler Simpson is otherworldly fast, and he’s astoundingly aggressive on the base paths.
Put those together, and he’s without a doubt the best base stealer in not just MLB but the entire sport.
The Rays finally gave Simpson the call to the majors, and now it’s time to watch him run wild.
How fast is Chandler Simpson?
Chandler Simpson has been clocked at a speed of 30.8 feet per second in the minors.
Only four MLB players reached 30.5 feet per second three times in a game last season: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Elly De La Cruz, Trea Turner and Bobby Witt Jr.
Given that Simpson has run even faster than that 30.5 ft/sec benchmark on multiple occasions, he might be the fastest of the bunch.
He has also been timed home-to-first in a spring-training game at 4.05 seconds.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
How many bases does Chandler Simpson steal?
In the 2024 minor league season, across two levels, Simpson stole 104 bases.
The year before, he stole 94.
So far this season, Simpson had eight steals in 17 Triple-A games.
Simpson has to steal bases, because he has limited power. But if he can take second base often when he gets to first, it’s not a bad proposition.
Chandler Simpson hometown, college
Chandler Simpson was born on Nov. 18, 2000 in Atlanta.
He ended up close to home for college, attending Georgia Tech (only after first playing at Alabama-Birmingham).
The Rays picked Simpson in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
He’s a left-handed hitter with experience in leftfield, centerfield and at second base.
And now his time to run wild on the MLB basepaths has arrived.
MORE MLB NEWS:
