SAN DIEGO -- Chandler Simpson knew Manny Machado put his barrel on the ball to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. He knew the ball was going over his head and would end up somewhere near the center-field wall, and he knew he was going to have to make a play.
Simpson leaped up, leaned his glove over the fence, and caught the Statcast-projected 407-foot would-be home run -- Machado¡¯s farthest-hit ball of the season. The robbery preserved the Rays¡¯ two-run lead at the time.
The Rays went on to win, 4-1, with Simpson¡¯s catch reminiscent of another robbery Machado fell victim to in Petco Park back in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
After the dust settled on the play and his hype died down, Simpson thought to himself: ¡°That was like Adam Jones.¡±
When Simpson got back to the dugout, Rays manager Kevin Cash asked him if he had ever robbed a home run before. His response?
¡°Yeah,¡± Simpson told his manager. ¡°One time in A ball.¡±
¡°It was big in the moment,¡± Cash said of Simpson¡¯s catch. ¡°... In that game, in that situation, it was big to keep it from becoming -- at the time -- a one-run game.¡±
For Simpson, the catch was even more special because it came against Machado, one of his favorite players growing up.
¡°I grew up watching him. I¡¯ve been watching his highlights for years,¡± Simpson said. ¡°And the fact that I can make that play off him, it was great.¡±
¡°That just speaks to the maturity of him,¡± second baseman Brandon Lowe said of Simpson. ¡°He¡¯s not trying to be somebody that he isn¡¯t. A lot of guys can do that when they get called up to the big leagues, and try to hit homers or try to do something that he¡¯s not supposed to do. He¡¯s been fantastic at the plate, in the field. Really can¡¯t speak too much about it.
¡°He¡¯s been extremely impressive.¡±
And then, there¡¯s Simpson¡¯s speed.
The 24-year-old, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Rays¡¯ No. 7 prospect, turns routine groundouts into infield singles, like the one he had in the fourth inning on Saturday when he hit a chopper up the middle and was originally called out at first before replay review revealed that Simpson actually beat Xander Bogaerts¡¯ throw by a hair.
And once Simpson gets on base, you know he¡¯s going to go for the steal.
¡°He just creates panic any time the ball is put in play and it¡¯s on the ground,¡± Lowe said. ¡°... It¡¯s just the player that he is, playing 100% all the time. It¡¯s awesome.¡±
The chaos Simpson creates isn¡¯t just for him. It has a ripple effect down the lineup. Ryan Pepiot, who pitched six innings with one run allowed on three hits on Saturday, mentioned that when Simpson draws a walk or legs out a throw at first, things like that can stay in a pitcher¡¯s mind. It invites the potential for more mistakes, maybe even an opportunity of a better pitch to hit for the next batter.
¡°It¡¯s big time,¡± Pepiot said.
But there was nothing more big time than that catch.
¡°Unbelievable catch. Unbelievable catch,¡± Pepiot said. ¡°Saved the run. Saved the momentum. It gets loud here, and the fans are really good. So to take that away from Machado was special stuff.¡±
Simpson has the potential to do something special every time he steps on the field. That¡¯s how fun he is to watch. But more than anything, he¡¯s just playing his game.
¡°Every day, just trying to make what I do in my role, just impact the game as much as I can,¡± Simpson said. ¡°And continue to get W¡¯s every day.¡±