Andrelton Simmons Announces Retirement
Andrelton Simmons, often referred to as Simba due to his resemblance to the Lion King protagonist, has officially announced his retirement. Simmons leaves behind an 11-year career in which he played for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins and finally the Chicago Cubs. He last played in July of 2022.
Over the course of his 11-year career, Simmons established himself as one of the best defenders our generation has seen. Winning him four Gold Gloves, but deserving of plenty more. The advanced metrics prove it, posting an MLB all-time high of 41 defensive runs saved in 2017.
But when it came to Simmons, you didn’t need to dive deep into the numbers to see he was a generational defender. In my opinion, he was a walking highlight reel and boasts one of the best highlight reels ever. Seriously, check it out … it will 100 percent amaze you.
The guy had range like no other and an absolute cannon of an arm. That makes sense, seeing as he was potentially seen as a pitcher after being taken by the Braves in the second round out of Oklahoma. Atlanta, though, seemingly made the right decision by keeping him at short.
He never boasted an elite bat, smacking a career-high 17 home runs with a slash line of 248/.296/.396. But with Simmons, you were never paying for the bat. If he gave you average numbers at the plate, you took it because you were getting the absolute best defense possible at the position.
The old saying is a run saved is a run earned. It’s safe to say Andrelton Simmons saved a lot of runs during his career … 201, to be exact, which ranks him first in that category since it started being tracked, per Fangraphs.
He was even able to earn himself some back-end MVP votes, finishing top 15 three different times, with none of those seasons being particularly impressive on the offensive side, showing just how valuable his defensive contributions were.
Andrelton Simmons was personally one of my favorite players to watch. He mastered the art of the glove and commanded his position at short, which allowed him to make impossible plays look easy.
Some even make arguments about Simmons making the Hall of Fame. Something I very much could see happening. Ozzie Smith got in pretty easily, and Simmons boasts much better offensive stats than Ozzie ever did.
Simmons also has the defensive numbers and ability to put himself with someone like Ozzie. He arguably is the greatest defender we’ve seen at the position since Ozzie retired. So why shouldn’t he have his place in the Hall of Fame?
Hall of Fame or not, Andrelton Simmons still carved out a great career for himself and cemented himself as one of the game’s best defenders. A title I’m sure he holds with great honor. I know I, for one, will miss seeing him make jaw-dropping plays. But as always, in the world of sports, I’m sure someone will take his mantle.
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