This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
TAMPA -- Chandler Simpson’s speed is no secret. You can’t steal 104 bases in a Minor League season and sneak up on anybody.
His ability to put the ball in play is no surprise, either. He batted .327 and walked more than he struck out in the Minors. Opponents tend to notice stuff like that.
But Simpson might have a secret weapon. It doesn’t show up in the scouting report, but you saw it plenty as the rookie played a key role in the Rays’ 4-3 win over the Orioles on Saturday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
After his game-tying single in the eighth inning, he turned to the dugout and pumped his fists. He immediately stole second base and reacted in a similar way -- fiery and proud, but not at anyone’s expense. When he scored the go-ahead run, he bounced into the dugout in celebration.
And after leaping at the center-field wall to snag the final out of the game, he trotted away with a big smile on his face.
“He knows he's helping the team win, and he's excited about it,” manager Kevin Cash said. “And he should be.”
Simpson says it's an expression of the “enthusiasm that I have toward the game.” Cash says it’s “a lot of energy and a lot of authenticity.” José Caballero thinks it’s a reflection of Simpson’s elite competitiveness. Josh Lowe summed it all up.
“He’s his biggest cheerleader. He really is, and that's something I think we can all learn from, just cheering for yourself,” Lowe said. “It's that positive self-talk that gets you through. No matter if it's a big moment, a small moment, I feel like I always see him just pumping himself up. He's always excited. It's infectious, but it's pretty cool to see.”
Simpson has had a lot to cheer about in his rookie season, especially since his return from a roughly month-long stint in Triple-A to work on his defense and plate discipline.
“It's been real fun. It's been a blessing, honestly,” Simpson said. “Just use the gift that God gave me [and] use it every day.”
The 24-year-old is currently slashing .300/.330/.345 with 27 steals and 26 runs scored in 57 games. In his first 21 games after his second call-up, he hit .347/.375/.413 with only five strikeouts in 80 plate appearances.
He entered the week ranked third in the American League in stolen bases (behind Caballero’s 32 and José Ramírez’s 29) despite his relatively limited playing time. With his next steal, he will surpass the Rays rookie record set by Rocco Baldelli in 2003.
“His skill-set, it plays. It's not easy what he's doing. His skill-set, though, is pretty consistent,” Cash said. “It's been consistent since he was drafted, and every level he's gone up, he has shown obviously speed and the contact ability.”
This is the game Simpson has always played, and he’s showing how effective those traits can be in the Majors. Now playing center field almost every day, Simpson is a regular in the lineup, whether he’s leading off or batting lower in the order.
“You talk about the speed, talk about the contact, all that -- yeah, it's real, and obviously it shows,” Lowe said. “His mind just being so confident in himself is what I think allows for all that to come out.”
An 0-for-5 afternoon on Sunday ended Simpson’s 18-game hitting streak, the longest by a rookie in Rays history and the longest by any MLB rookie since Masyn Winn (also 18 games) in May 2024. With less than half a big league season under his belt, Simpson matched the fourth-longest hitting streak in franchise history, trailing only 20-gamers by Brandon Lowe (this season) and Yandy Díaz (2024), and Jason Bartlett’s 19-game run in 2009.
Simpson said earlier this month he was proud of the way he responded to the Rays’ constructive criticism after being sent down to Triple-A. He got more comfortable seeing more pitches and working longer at-bats. He learned more about preparing for opposing pitchers. He kept working on his defense.
He’s still not a finished product, and there will likely always be doubts from some corners about how valuable a player can be with so little power at the plate. But you won’t hear those doubts from the Rays -- or from Simpson’s biggest cheerleader.
“You see his energy every time he catches a ball, every time he reaches base, every time he drives in a run or whatever it might be. It's impressive,” Caballero said. “He's up there trying to make contact, and he knows with his speed, he's going to make things happen.”