Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospect Makes Rare History with 100th Stolen Base of Season

Chandler Simpson accomplished the feat, which hasn't been done in more than a decade.

A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in 2023. / Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

Congratulations are in order for Tampa Bay Rays top prospect Chandler Simpson, who became the first player in the minor leagues since 2012 to steal 100 bases.

A Minor League Baseball story had the nugget:

The Rays' No. 5 prospect became the first Minor or Major League player since 2012 to reach 100 stolen bases in a season on Sunday -- and he didn't need long to do it.

Simpson, who is currently playing for Double-A Montgomery, accomplished the feat in the first inning. Obviously, stealing bases has become easier in the last few years through rule changes but Simpson still has great speed - and great intellectual awareness on the bases.

Simpson was the No. 70 overall draft pick in 2022, taken out of Georgia Tech.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

For one, Simpson’s speed is truly game-changing on the basepaths and should allow him to not only reach the big leagues, but stick around. But he also makes a ton of contact, which helped him hit .294 and record more walks (54) than strikeouts (44) for Single-A Charleston and High-A Bowling Green last year. There are obvious questions about whether he’ll hit enough and generate enough impact against higher-level pitching to hold down a regular role, and he slugged just .345 last year. But he put on muscle in the offseason and reported to preseason camps with improved bat speed, hitting the ball about four mph harder than he did in 2023.

Simpson is predicted to reach the big leagues in 2025, so there's a chance that manager Kevin Cash will have fun and creative ways to deploy Simpson as early as next year.

The Rays are in fourth place in the American League East and are going to miss the playoffs, but given the looming return of Shane McClanahan and a fully healthy Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs, they should be right back in the thick of things next year.

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