Andrelton Simmons

Andrelton A. Simmons (born September 4, 1989) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball shortstop for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels. 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 ranks 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
Minnesota Twins – No. 9
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 2020 season)
Batting average.269
Home runs67
Runs batted in406
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.[20][21][22] 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[23] and received the Gold Glove,[24] the Fielding Bible,[25] and the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award[26] for his defensive work that season.

On February 20, 2014, the Atlanta Braves signed Simmons to a seven-year deal worth $58 million.[27][28] In 2014 he batted .244/.286/.331. At the end of the year, Simmons won the Gold Glove[29] and Fielding Bible[30] 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).[31]

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.[32] 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.[33] He was reactivated on June 16.[34] For the season, he batted .281/.324/.366, and struck out in only 7.9% of his at bats.[35] He received the Fielding Bible Award for the fourth straight year.[36]

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%).[37] Simmons finished 8th in the American League Most Valuable Player voting. He received his third Gold Glove Award as well in 2017.[38] His Defensive Wins Above Replacement in 2017 was 5.0, third-highest of all time and highest since 1917.[39]

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%).[40][41] He also won a Gold Glove for the second consecutive season.[42] As of 2018, he led the major leagues in career at bats per strikeout (10.32).[43] 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. 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.[44][45]

Minnesota Twins

On January 31, 2021, Simmons signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Minnesota Twins.[46]

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.[47][48]

Notes
  1. The infield fly rule states, in part, that the batter is out when, with first and second base occupied with less 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.[18][19]

References
  1. Andrelton Simmons Is Having a Hall of Fame Career | Baseball Bits, retrieved 2020-01-18
  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. 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. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  8. Bowman, Mark (March 19, 2012). "Pastornicky, Simmons continue shortstop battle". MLB.com. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  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. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  12. Rogers, Carroll (July 2, 2012). "Simmons named NL rookie of the month". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  13. Moore, Jack (September 13, 2012). "Andrelton Simmons Changed Everything". Fangraphs. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  14. Simon, Mark (July 2, 2012). "Braves rookie Simmons already elite SS". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  15. Willis, Kris (July 8, 2012). "Andrelton Simmons Injury: Braves Shortstop Has Fractured Finger". SBNation. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  16. Vivlamore, Chris (July 9, 2012). "Braves place Simmons on 15-day disabled list". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  17. "STL-ATL Infield Fly (NL Wild Card): Why Call was Correct". Close Call Sports. October 6, 2012.
  18. "MLB Official Rules: 2.00 Definitions". October 5, 2012.
  19. Snyder, Matt (June 11, 2008). "Infield fly rule call mars Cardinals-Braves wild-card game". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  20. "Cardinals overcome ugly delay, Braves – Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  21. "Fan Protest/Throwing Trash on the Field". YouTube.com.
  22. "Call of the Wild: Cards earn berth in NLDS: St. Louis takes advantage of three Atlanta errors, infield fly ruling". MLB.com. October 5, 2012.
  23. DiComo, Anthony (October 2, 2013). "With Gold Glove defense, Simmons' value unmatched". MLB.com. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  24. Rogers, Carroll (October 29, 2013). "Braves SS Simmons wins first Gold Glove". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  25. Berry, Adam (October 28, 2013). "Fielding Bible names six first-time winners". MLB.com. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  26. O'Brien, David (November 9, 2013). "Simmons wins Platinum Glove as NL's top defensive player". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  27. "Braves sign Simmons to 7-year deal". ESPN.com. February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  28. Bowman, Mark (February 20, 2014). "Braves lock up Simmons with seven-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  29. "Jason Heyward and Andrelton Simmons Honored as Rawlings Gold Glove Winners". MLB.com. November 4, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  30. O'Brien, David (October 31, 2014). "Braves Simmons, Heyward win prestigious defensive awards". Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  31. "2020 MLB Player Batting Stats | ESPN".
  32. "Braves deal Andrelton Simmons to Angels for Erick Aybar in SS swap". ESPN.com. November 12, 2015.
  33. Gonzalez, Alden (May 10, 2016). "Simmons needs thumb surgery, will miss 2 months". MLB.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  34. Gonzalez, Alden (June 16, 2016). "Simmons returns to Halos ahead of schedule". MLB.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  35. "American League Leaderboards » 2016 » Batters » Dashboard | FanGraphs Baseball". www.fangraphs.com.
  36. Dewan, John (October 28, 2016). "The 2016 Fielding Bible Awards". Bill James Online. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  37. "American League Leaderboards » 2017 » Batters » Advanced Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball". www.fangraphs.com.
  38. Guardado, Maria (November 7, 2017). "Maldonado, Simmons capture Gold Gloves". MLB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  39. "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Defensive WAR". Baseball-Reference.com.
  40. "2020 MLB Player Batting Stats | ESPN".
  41. American League Leaderboards » 2018 » Batters » Advanced Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
  42. Torres, Maria. "Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons wins another Gold Glove". latimes.com. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  43. "Active Leaders & Records for AB per SO". Baseball-Reference.com.
  44. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/09/andrelton-simmons-opts-out-of-remainder-of-season.html
  45. Fletcher, Jeff (2 February 2021). "Andrelton Simmons opens up about depression and thoughts of suicide". Orange County Register.
  46. Park, Do-Hyoung (January 31, 2021). "Simba out to 'keep everybody on their toes'". MLB.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  47. O'Brien, David (March 20, 2013). "Braves' Simmons ready for season after WBC stint". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  48. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/sports/baseball/wbc-netherlands-win.html
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