Georgia Tech Baseball: Chandler Simpson 2022 MLB Draft Profile
Georgia Tech had one of the best offenses in college baseball and is slated to have multiple players drafted in the upcoming 2022 MLB Draft. While catcher Kevin Parada is rightfully getting most of the attention ahead of the draft after the season that he had, it seems like there is a forgotten man from the Yellow Jackets' loaded lineup.
Despite being the nation's leader in batting average and one of the best leadoff men in the country, Georgia Tech infielder Chandler Simpson does not have a high profile heading into the draft. While he is clearly not a perfect prospect, there is more than enough to work with to make him a starting caliber player in the Major Leagues.
Georgia Tech Infielder Chandler Simpson
Lisa Scalfaro / USA TODAY NETWORKSaul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
Simpson played his high school baseball in Atlanta at St.Pius High School and was one of the top 100 players in the state of Georgia when he came out. However, he did not start his college career in Georgia. Instead, Simpson decided that he would go out of state and play for the UAB Blazers.
As a freshman at UAB, Simpson was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team after hitting a .288 average and having a .968 fielding percentage. He showed the intriguing skill set that would explode after he decided to transfer to Georgia Tech.
While most players are going to show improvement from year to year, the leap that Simpson took in 2022 was astounding to watch. He improved his average to .433, which led the nation, he hit for a 1.023 OPS and drove in 25 runners. He was consistent in getting on base as the leadoff man and then letting Parada or first baseman Andrew Jenkins do the rest.
Another strength of Simpson's is his ability to steal bases. He had 24 stolen bases during the 2021 season at UAB, which led the team, and this past season, he had 27 stolen bases for Georgia Tech. He is good at getting on base and advancing once he is.
However, Simpson is clearly not a perfect prospect. He does lack arm strength to make throws and is not a very powerful hitter. Neither of those things is likely to improve significantly enough either, which could make his upside limited.
Still, if I were a team, I would bet on Simpson. He has the tools to be an effective player in the Major Leagues, even if he won't be a continuous All-Star.
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