NEW YORK – Two MLBbros, Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson and right-hander Taj Bradley – played a significant role in the team’s 7-5 victory over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Simpson, who is considered the seventh-best prospect in the Rays’ farm system according to MLB Pipeline, went 2-for-5 and raised his batting average to .296. While home run power rules in the game of baseball, it was Simpson’s speed that caught the Bronx Bombers off guard.
Take the fourth inning: With the Rays already up, 4-0, and Simpson on second base, Yandy Díaz hit the ball up the middle. Shortstop Oswald Peraza made a nice diving grab of the ball, but there was nothing he could do because Simpson already scored on the play from second base to make it a five-run game.
“I thought the ball had a chance to get through,” Simpson recalled. “I had the stop sign [at third base]. I looked back and I saw the shortstop on the ground. I saw the ball on the ground as well. I saw a little daylight. I went [home aggressively].”
How fast was Simpson on that play? According to MLB.com’s Statcast, Simpson reached a sprint speed of 31.3 feet per second, which is above the 30 feet/second mark that’s considered elite. Simpson’s speed also helped him reach first on a bunt single three innings later.
Manager Kevin Cash Is Impressed By Chandler Simpson’s Max Speed Efforts
“The speed is pretty relevant. It’s like he is the first step. He is maxed out full speed. That’s pretty impressive,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “He stops coming around third base and then in one step, he is back to full speed. That’s a lot to deal with for anybody defensively.”
Ever since Simpson played his first big-league game on April 19th, Cash has been impressed with Simpson’s bat to ball skills.
“[Simpson] is seeing the best pitching he has seen in his life. He is doing more than holding his own. He knows who he is as a hitter and he is able to repeat it multiple times,” the skipper said.
It was Simpson’s speed that helped Bradley win his third game of the season. Cash wanted Bradley to get into a good rhythm to start the game. At first, it looked like that wasn’t going to be the case. After walking Trent Grisham to start the game, Bradley was behind in the count, 3-0, to the next hitter, Aaron Judge. But the latter flew out to Simpson in center field. After that, Bradley was cruising, facing 16 batters and retiring 13 of them.
But Bradley had problems in the sixth inning. With one out, Bradley allowed a two-run homer to Cody Bellinger, which spelled the end for Bradley, who wanted to go more than his 5 ⅓ innings.
“The only thing I was upset about was coming out of the game. I keep that thought in my head that I want to finish every inning I walk into,” Bradley said. “When I don’t, I get kind of upset. [The Rays] have a great [bullpen staff] to clean up my mess.”
