Minor League Baseball

Tampa Bay Rays' Chandler Simpson Puts World-Class Speed on Display During Spring Breakout Game

The Tampa Bay Rays top prospects took on the Boston Red Sox top prospects on Thursday night in the Spring Breakout Games, with Chandler Simpson putting his 80-grade speed on full display.
Brady Farkas|
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson (96) singles against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Charlotte Sports Park on Feb. 25.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson (96) singles against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Charlotte Sports Park on Feb. 25. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays' top prospects took on the Boston Red Sox' top prospects on Thursday in the Spring Breakout Games down in Florida.

These prospect-laden showcases were developed last season as a way to give exposure to the top prospects in a team's organization, and Rays stud Chandler Simpson put his gamebreaking speed on display in the contest.

Check out the perfect bunt he had for a hit, and the stolen base of second, which were posted below by MLB Pipeline.

The 24-year-old Simpson is currently ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the Rays organization, per MLB.com. In addition to his game-breaking speed and his 104 steals from a season ago, he also hit .355 in 110 games last year. He posted a .410 on-base percentage. He doesn't possess much in the way of power, having hit just one home run in his professional career, but that speed and his ability to make contact should keep him around for years to come.

MLB Pipeline projects that he'll make his major league debut later this season and he certainly could impact the American League East race once he gets to the roster.

The Rays are coming off a season in which they went 80-82 and missed the playoffs by finishing fourth in the division. With the return of a healthy Shane McClanahan and a healthy Drew Rasmussen, the Rays should be better this season.

They will open up the regular season on March 28 at home against the Colorado Rockies.

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M's MAKE MULTIPLE MOVES: The Mariners made several roster moves on Friday, including sending multiple spring training standouts to minor league camp. CLICK HERE:

KYLE TEEL RAKING: While it still seems unlikely that he makes the Opening Day roster, Chicago White Sox top prospect Kyle Teel is showing out this spring following a trade from the Red Sox. CLICK HERE:

AWARD HONOREES: The Toronto Blue Jays honored their 2024 organizational players of the year this week at spring training in Dunedin. CLICK HERE:

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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