Andrelton Simmons

Andrelton A. Simmons (born September 4, 1989) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago Cubs. Drawing considerable attention for his defensive abilities, Simmons has won four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards for shortstops, a Wilson MLB Overall Defensive Player of the Year Award, and six Fielding Bible Awards. As of the end of 2019 season, he ranked first in DRS and UZR against all shortstops played in the stats' respective eras (2003-present for DRS, 2002-present for UZR).[1]

Andrelton Simmons
Simmons with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017
Free agent
Shortstop
Born: (1989-09-04) September 4, 1989
Mundo Nobo, Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 2, 2012, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Batting average.263
Home runs70
Runs batted in444
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Amateur career

Simmons played youth baseball alongside fellow Curaçao natives Kenley Jansen and Didi Gregorius; he also played basketball and soccer.[2]

Due to his slight build, Simmons did not draw much attention from MLB scouts until he attended Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, Oklahoma. As a freshman at Western Oklahoma State, Simmons hit .472 with seven home runs and 40 runs batted in (RBIs), leading his team to the 2010 National Junior College Athletic Association Division II College World Series.[3]

Professional career

Atlanta Braves
Simmons with the Braves in 2014

Simmons was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft out of Western Oklahoma State College.[4]

Prior to the 2012 season, Simmons was the Braves' fourth-best prospect according to Baseball America.[5] He was ranked 92nd in all of baseball.[6] During spring training he competed with Tyler Pastornicky for the Braves starting shortstop job.[7][8] On May 30, 2012, the Braves called Simmons up,[9] and he made his Major League debut on June 2 against the Washington Nationals.[10] He got his first Major League hit, a double, on June 3.[11] Simmons was named National League Rookie of the Month for June 2012 after hitting .333 with six doubles, three home runs, and 14 RBIs in June. He led all NL rookies in batting average and on-base percentage.[12] He also won praise for his outstanding defense.[13][14] On July 8, 2012, during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Simmons suffered a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal on his right hand while sliding head-first into second base.[15] On July 9, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list.[16]

In the 2012 National League Wild Card Game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Simmons hit an eighth-inning fly ball to left field that dropped in between Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma and left fielder Matt Holliday. Simmons was believed by many to have been entitled to a single, but left field umpire Sam Holbrook cited the infield fly rule[17][lower-alpha 1] and called Simmons out. Angered Braves fans littered the field with trash, causing a 19-minute delay and a threatened forfeit.[21][22][23] The Braves lost the game 6–3 and were eliminated.

Simmons had his first full season in 2013, playing in 157 games. He finished the 2013 season with the highest Defensive Runs Saved ever recorded in a year[24] and received the Gold Glove,[25] the Fielding Bible,[26] and the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award[27] for his defensive work that season.

On February 20, 2014, the Atlanta Braves signed Simmons to a seven-year deal worth $58 million.[28][29] In 2014 he batted .244/.286/.331. At the end of the year, Simmons won the Gold Glove[30] and Fielding Bible[31] for his position.

In 2015 he batted .265/.321/.338. He had the lowest number of pitches per plate appearance in the major leagues (3.27).[32]

Los Angeles Angels

On November 12, 2015, Simmons, along with catcher José Briceño, was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Erick Aybar, Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis.[33] In a May 9, 2016, game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Simmons tore the ulnar collateral ligament of his left thumb and was placed on the disabled list.[34] He was reactivated on June 16.[35] For the season, he batted .281/.324/.366, and struck out in only 7.9% of his at bats.[36] He received the Fielding Bible Award for the fourth straight year.[37]

In 2017, Simmons hit .278/.331/.421 with 14 home runs and 69 RBIs, and had the lowest strikeout percentage of all major league baseball players (10.4%).[38] Simmons finished 8th in the American League Most Valuable Player voting. He received his third Gold Glove Award as well in 2017.[39] His Defensive Wins Above Replacement in 2017 was 5.0, third-highest of all time and highest since 1917.[40]

In 2018, he batted .292/.337/.417 with 11 home runs and a career-high 75 RBIs, a major-league-leading 28 infield hits, had the lowest strikeout percentage of all major league baseball players (7.3%) for the second consecutive year, had the lowest number of pitches per plate appearance in the major leagues (3.30), and led the majors in pull percentage (51.0%).[41][42] He also won a Gold Glove for the second consecutive season.[43] As of 2018, he led the major leagues in career at bats per strikeout (10.32).[44] He was placed on the disabled list on May 21, 2019 with an ankle injury.

On September 22, 2020, Simmons announced he was opting out of the remainder of the 2020 season. At the time of his opt-out, Simmons had slashed .297/.346/.356 with no home runs and 10 RBI.[45] While he initially attributed the opt-out to concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simmons later revealed in February 2021 that he opted-out due to depression and suicidal ideations.[46][47]

Minnesota Twins

On January 31, 2021, Simmons signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Minnesota Twins.[48] Simmons finished the 2021 season with a .223 batting average, 3 home runs, 31 RBI, 1 stolen base, and a 57 OPS+, the lowest of his career.

Chicago Cubs

On March 15, 2022, Simmons signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.[49] He was designated for assignment on August 6, 2022,[50][51] and elected free agency on August 7.

International career

World Baseball Classic

Simmons played for the Netherlands national team at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and was selected for the team at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[52][53] He represented the Netherlands national baseball team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[54]

Notes
  1. The infield fly rule states, in part, that the batter is out when, with first and second base occupied with fewer than two out, the batter hits a fair fly ball which is not a line drive nor bunt, and this fly ball can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort. This was controversial in part because the ball landed 225 feet (69 m) from home plate, in the outfield grass, and was by far the deepest uncaught pop-up called infield fly since 2009, and as a result was so far from the bases that intentionally letting it drop could not have led to an unfair double play (the intention of the rule is to prevent such a play) as evidenced by the fact that both baserunners advanced easily.[18][19][20]

References
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  2. Crasnick, Jerry (April 27, 2015). "Andrelton Simmons is a hard-working human highlight reel". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  3. Aber, Ryan (June 8, 2010). "Western Oklahoma State shortstop Simmons first state player drafted". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  4. Hempson, Chris (June 9, 2010). "Young pitchers dominate Braves' Day 3 Draft". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  5. Ballew, Bill (October 31, 2011). "Atlanta Braves top 2012 prospects". Baseball America. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  6. "2012 Top 100 Prospects". Baseball America. February 21, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  7. Bowman, Mark (March 11, 2012). "Simmons' dazzling 'D' leaving strong impression". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
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  9. O'Brien, David (May 30, 2012). "Pastornicky sent to Triple-A; Simmons coming to Majors". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  10. "Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals Boxscore". MLB.com. June 2, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  11. Ginsburg, David (June 3, 2012). "Hanson, Braves beat Nationals 3-2". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
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  48. Park, Do-Hyoung (January 31, 2021). "Simba out to 'keep everybody on their toes'". MLB.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
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