Move Over, Shohei; Rays Prospect Runs Into Record Books

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is and always will be one of the biggest storylines in the league. He won’t take the mound at all this year, but he’s remained one of the most elite offensive talents around. This season, he’s added “stolen base king” to his list of accolades.

The unicorn-type player is inching closer and closer to becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. He’d be the one and only player in the 50-50 club.

As of right now, the 29-year-old has 46 home runs and 47 steals. Both are already career-highs for him as he continues to put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Down in the minor leagues, the Tampa Bay Rays have a speedy young prospect who’s in the business of starting his own club, too. Chandler Simpson, the Rays’ second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, set his own bit of history on Sunday night.

Chandler Simpson Racks Up 100th Stolen Base of the Season

In an crazy development, Simpson stole his 100th, 101st and 102nd bags of the season on Sunday evening. This is the first time in the major or minor leagues that this has been done since 2012. He’s appeared in 107 games split between High-A and Double-A and is 102-for-119 in attempts. He is always running and it seems that every single time he reaches base, he’s a legitimate threat to come around and score.

“I’m feeling ecstatic, feeling relieved, but I feel great,” Simpson said on accomplishing the feat (via Ben Weinrib of MLB.com). “It was a lot of pressure the whole week, especially with my family coming up. I really wanted to do it in front of them and do it at home. I knew that the other team was trying to stop it and didn’t want it to happen. When I got on first and took second, it was just a sigh of relief and then all of that emotion just came out in a scream.”

What makes Simpson’s unique story all the more, well, unique is the fact that he’s got exactly one home run this year. In fact, that home run is the only one he’s hit since he started his professional career two years back and it was of the inside-the-park variety. Baseball is wild.

Simpson has elevated his game in a way not typically seen in today’s game. He’s not quite a flashy, household name in prospect rankings around the league (The Athletic had him at No. 19 in the Rays system in their 2024 preseason rankings while FanGraphs had him at 14 in their July rankings), but he’s certainly finding ways to make his name known.

A Different Path to History

Since Simpson has just that one home run, it seems that he’s ready to challenge Ohtani for starting the most impressive club in the game. What are we more likely to see again, someone join the 1-100 club, or the 50-50 one?

Per MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on Simpson, some evaluators jokingly gave him 90-grade speed on the 20-80 scale while giving him a 10-grade power tool. Obviously this is not possible on this scale, but it appears to be an accurate assessment.

Even without raw power, Simpson has found ways to get on base and make himself useful while out there. This year, he’s sporting a .356 batting average, .412 OBP and .812 OPS all while registering just 16 extra-base hits in over 100 games. His average and 156 base hits currently lead the minor leagues, and his OBP is good for 18th.

The stolen bases are out-of-this-world impressive, but his overall baseball IQ also seems to be off the charts. His stat line is almost Luis Arraez-like if Arraez had a lick of speed in his toolbox. Instead, Simpson seems to be putting his name into a league of his own, which you don’t see often out of a minor leaguer.

He’s also best friends with Cardinals speedster Victor Scott II, which is fitting. The pair are some of the most prolific base stealers Minor League Baseball has ever seen. Last season, they both stole 94 bases and shared the MiLB steal crown.

Where Does Simpson Rank in the Single-Season Record Books?

Since there’s not a ton of time left on the schedule this year, it seems that Simpson is going to come short of any sort of all-time record down in the minors.

However, he’s closing in on the top-10. He’s at 102 as of right now, and the 10th-highest of all-time belongs to Otis Nixon, who stole 108 in the Yankees system back in 1982. Simpson’s going to need to remain active on the basepaths, but he could get there. Here’s a look at the complete top-10:

• 155, Billy Hamilton, 2012, Reds

• 145, Vince Coleman, 1983, Cardinals

• 144, Donell Nixon, 1983, Mariners

• 124, James Johnston, 1913, None

• 123, Jeff Stone, 1981, Red Sox

• 120, Alan Wiggins, 1980, Padres

• 116, Allan Lewis, 1966, Athletics

• 111, Ovid Nicholson, 1912, None

• 110, Maynard DeWitt, 1946, Dodgers

• 108, Otis Nixon, 1982, Yankees

Up in the major leagues, the 100-steal mark has been achieved a total of 11 times, with the all-time single season record belonging to Hugh Nichol of the 1887 Cincinnati Reds (138 steals). It hasn’t been pulled off at the game’s highest level since Vince Coleman swiped 109 in 1987 for the Cardinals.

Closing Thoughts

The Rays are a crafty team that finds unique ways to utilize their players any chance they get. Simpson hasn’t made it up to Triple-A yet, but a big league promotion 2025 certainly is not out of the question. His speed is truly game-changing and he’s proven that he can impact a game even without having any power.

There’s also the fact that he’s never once been placed on the injured list throughout his professional career. That durability is yet another tool he possesses.

The Rays’ Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, is the squad Simpson currently calls home. Counting Tuesday’s game, there are six regular season games remaining in their season, with the season finale coming on Sept. 15 against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins).

There’s still plenty of time to crack that top-10.