Four-time Gold Glove winner Andrelton Simmons is retiring, his representatives at ISE Baseball announced on Instagram earlier this week. The defensive stalwart last appeared in the majors in July 2022.
Simmons was a second-round draftee of the Braves in 2010 out of an Oklahoma junior college. There was some thought he might be better suited as a pitcher at the time thanks to his elite arm strength. Atlanta stuck with him as a shortstop, where prospect evaluators projected Simmons as a plus defender. He exceeded even the loftiest reviews of his glove, quite likely becoming the best defensive infielder of his generation.
The Braves first called him up in June 2012, a little before his 23rd birthday. Simmons capably held down shortstop from that point forward, putting up roughly league average hitting with strong defensive reviews. He started that year’s Wild Card game and cemented himself as an everyday player for the better part of the next decade.
Simmons took what would be a career-high 658 plate appearances the following season. He connected on a personal-best 17 homers with a .248/.296/.396 slash line. While that wasn’t particularly imposing offense, he rated as a staggering 30 runs above average with the glove. That earned him his first Gold Glove and down-ballot MVP support and helped the Braves to an NL East title.
The following offseason, Atlanta signed Simmons to a seven-year extension. His $58MM guarantee established a new record for players with between one and two years of MLB service. Simmons’ power dipped over the next two seasons, but he continued to rack up eye-popping metrics and highlights on defense. He won a second Gold Glove in 2014 and arguably should’ve received the award again the following year.
Atlanta missed the postseason in both seasons, however, kicking off a rebuild. During the 2015-16 offseason, the Braves dealt Simmons to the Angels for a prospect package headlined by Sean Newcomb. While the left-hander had an inconsistent tenure in Atlanta, Simmons spent the next few seasons offering his typical combination of slightly below-average hitting and superlative defense.
He’d win two more Gold Gloves in Orange County, finishing in the top 15 in AL MVP balloting in 2017 and ’18. He was credited with 41 Defensive Runs Saved in 2017, easily the highest single-season mark by a shortstop since the statistic was introduced in 2002. Simmons owns three of the top 10 and six of the top 30 DRS grades on record at the infield’s most demanding position. Unsurprisingly, he easily holds the top career mark among shortstops over the past two decades. His estimated 201 runs saved in more than 10,000 innings is 82 runs higher than second-place finisher Adam Everett.
Simmons remained with the Halos through 2020. He signed a $10.5MM deal with the Twins for the 2021 campaign. While he continued to play stellar defense, his offense cratered. He hit .223/.283/.274 in 131 games, setting the stage for a modest $4MM deal with the Cubs. Simmons mustered only a .173/.244/.187 line in 35 contests for Chicago and was released midseason.
He didn’t sign with a major league team from that point forward. The Curacao native represented the Netherlands in last spring’s World Baseball Classic, as he had in 2013 and ’17. He saw action at third base in an infield also comprising Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop and Xander Bogaerts. Simmons went 2-11 in four games to close his playing career.
Simmons appeared in parts of 11 MLB seasons. He tallied more than 4,800 plate appearances over 1,226 contests, hitting .263/.312/.366 with 70 home runs. He was one of the game’s more reliable contact bats, striking out in fewer than 10% of his plate appearances. Simmons will be better remembered as one of the best defensive shortstops the game has ever seen.
FanGraphs valued his career around 25 wins above replacement, while Baseball Reference credited him with 37 WAR. B-Ref pegs his earnings just under $72MM. MLBTR congratulates Simmons on his excellent run and wishes him the best in retirement.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Congratulations on a successful career, Simba! While offense was never your strength, it was enough (during ATL tenure) while your glove shined like no other. All I remember is how he would appear out of nowhere to snag a grounder and use his canon to throw out most runners.
I heard the Rays need a new shortstop?
Must have not heard about Carson Williams yet don’t worry y’all will be dealing with him and Camiero for the next 5 years
I don’t know about 5 years. Maybe 3 because, you know, Tampa.
When the Braves started tearing things down…Simba and then Kimbrel getting traded before opening night were by far the worst ones for me. Simmons was so fun to watch.
Dutchies keep churning them out
Congrats Simba! His LAA tenure was an excellent one as well.
The Simba for Newcomb trade made Angel fans a little nervous at first (you don’t often trade away LHP starters), but it worked out for all parties.
Other than Ozzie Smith and maybe Omar Vizquel, Andrelton Simmons was the best shortstop I ever saw play the game.
Didn’t realize his career was so short. Fell off a cliff at the end.
Hope he enjoys his retirement as much as we enjoyed watching him play.
I agree. I remember Rafael Furcal (ATL SS in 2000) having one of the strongest arms I’ve ever seen. Simba didn’t have the same arm strength, but it was close. He had the coverage and range to make up for it.
Likewise in LA. Watching Simba play was jaw dropping as he slid and jumped in one motion and always getting the out.
Sell sell sell sell
wonder how Mr. Scrooge spent his Christmas I wish he would sell the angels. It’s been cancerous ever since he’s owned them. but hey, he did lower beer prices in 2003.
It’s a wonderful life, Henry F Potter
Happy holiday angel fans
Arte Moreno
The dude hunted outs. If you weren’t paying attention on the bases he’d get you.
“A modest $4 million dollar deal.” Must be nice.But i can save his life. Can he say the same? And i do it every day for pennies.
The last good transaction the Angels have made.
There are a couple that could still go either way, there were a couple that were OK, but Simba was the last good one.
I thought he was going to play in that Baseball United league? I guess not…
He did get drafted for the Baseball United league but they changed their minds and only played 2 “All Star” games. I think he was announced to play in those games, but I am unsure if he actually did. I didn’t watch the games when they kept changing the format around.
The league officially starts in 2024; they never changed their mind.
@Reynaldo my bad I saw the dates as 2023 when I first read it. I admit I do not keep up with it because it is ever changing. I can see him still playing in the league if there are just a few games a year, but this league seems to be a mess at best so far. I really hope they have success because I am all for expansion of baseball into other parts of the world.
The league officially starts in November of 2024; he may still play in it like other former players who play in the Dominican Winter Leagues.
One of the top defensive SS I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot. Happy retirement!
Wondering if he’s going out on his terms. Considering what Boston put out last year, I’d take him today at short even in decline and put Story at second where he was superb (assuming no big trade is coming).
He’s not going out on his own terms. Bat declined to unplayable, defense declined to below average.
That’s just simply not true. He was his usual excellent defensive self in 2021 and got struck by injury again in 2022. Some players don’t want to go through grueling rehab again and also lose the motivation to play the game.
Surprises me in that sometimes you regroup for that final fling.
What surprised me the most in reading this article is the fact that he was first called up in 2012. I don’t know why, but I thought he was a major leaguer longer than just ten years.
I’ll still go back to watch his defensive highlights to get hyped up. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
Was surprised he ended up with only 4 GG.
He didn’t hit enough to win more. Or he didn’t play in the right city. Obviously Jeter was better defensively (cough, cough).
As first reported by kellin.
Congratulations on a 10+ year MLB career to a really great dude!
Who?
Andrelton Simmons
If you don’t know who he is, your baseball needs the “1” removed. Maybe the “7” also.
GB. That is one of the best posts I’ve ever read.
@gb spot on
@gbs42 I literally have never posted here. I chose to get an account because your post was absolutely gold. Congratulations…you made me laugh at someone who I have never met. Well done, well done. (Tips my hat)
This comment just makes you and everyone who upvotes you look like you don’t really follow baseball unless it’s the world series or the all-star game. Within baseball circles, Andrelton Simmons is well recognized.
He was a career role player, a career complimentary player, a career baseball equivalent of the sixth man, etc. and he was paid very fairly for his level of production and the way he was deployed in the field. A very solid career.
To me, Simmons is the epitome of ‘average’ successful baseball player who made plenty of money, played a good number of years, but was never an A-lister or ever in the midst of any high profile transactions or key figures in a line up.
Just a solid professional baseball player.
Definitely underselling his defense there. A 172.4 defense-fielding and positional adjustment combined (above average) total score over 11 years and an average UZR of 15.8 is insane and in no way average. The bat was largely average yes, but he more than made up for that on the field. Heck of a career. Fun guy to watch pick it out there.
37 career WAR is more than a complimentary player. Even if you put a 4 million dollar amount on WAR he was significantly underpaid.
I remember when he signed with the Cubs, the Cubs had Nico, who is a tremendous defensive player in his own right, playing short, and the staff was talking about next level Simmons was even without the ability to really throw. He ended up putting up 4 DRS and 3 OAA for the Cubs that year while playing short…. In only 104 innings…. 12 games, 4 DRS and 3 OAA while barely being able to throw to first.
Have to agree with elmedius. You come pretty close to insulting him by calling him a successfully ‘average’ player. His glove was far superior than the vast majority of players. Really don’t need to post stats because elm covered that pretty well. My inclination is that you don’t appreciate elite fielding enough.
Complimentary player?? Your comments again showing someone who is a fan of stats(seemingly only traditional stats) and baseball news opposed to a true fan of the sport. Simmons was an amazing defender and ones of the best defensive players in the game for a decade. His roughly average offensive output was very tolerable with the value his glove provided.
@TrillionaireTeamOperator You should watch some baseball, pretty good sport to watch.
@Slow day..I got a LOL from that.
37.3 WAR in parts of 11 seasons from 2012 to 2022 = 3.4 WAR per season or more than 50% better than league average over that period.
He is the best defensive shortstop in that period and its not even close. He lapped the field
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?lg=all&qua…
Simmons was a solid pick up for the Halos. I was sorry to see him go.
How does IKF get 7..5 MM to play while this guy retires? Either IKF is way way overpaid, or defensive specialists aren’t worth as much in the real adult world as WAR says they are.
Here’s the problem in defensive specialists nowadays:
IKF (career): 6 seasons
oWAR (offense): 6.0
dWAR (defense): 6.9
Andrelton Simmons (career): 11 seasons
oWAR (offense): 15.5
dWAR (defense): 28.5
*Simba has three 4-dWAR seasons and one 5-dWAR season (2017) when he 5.1-WAR on his defense alone. Good grief.
Also, bref states that the player’s defensive position is counted twice (once in offensive WAR and once in dWAR). WAR just compares a guy to a AAA callup, but WAA compares him to the average player. Even within that, you could probably get a better hitter from the minor leagues than these guys.
Simmons can’t hit or field anymore. What he could do 5 years ago isn’t relevant in terms of paying him today.
On top of that, it’s universally expected the Kiner-Falefa deal makes no sense.
Show us where it says its counted twice.
Players Runs over Replacement = Player_runs – ReplPlayer_runs = (Player_runs – AvgPlayer_runs) + (AvgPlayer_runs – ReplPlayer_runs)
baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml
In the Glossary section under player value – batting:
“oRAR — Offensive Runs above Replacement Level
oWAR + dWAR DOES NOT EQUAL WAR, pos would be counted 2x”
It is repeated multiple times throughout, but you can just calculate the oWAR + dAAR for each player each season and see that adding those and subtracting positional adjustments gets you within 0.1 or 0.2 of WAR.
Still haven’t shown where its counted twice.
It actually is saying oWAR + dWAR doesn’t = WAR because if it did the position ADJUSTMENT would be counted twice if it was equal.
That says the opposite of what you are saying.
I have no clue what you are saying. 2014 Simmons: 0.5 oWAR + 2.9 dWAR – 0.8 positional adjustment = 2.6 WAR
The 8 is added to the oWAR and dWAR, so you have to subtract it to avoid double counting. Maybe, I explained it oddly.
I think part of the difference between IKF and Simmons is age. If Simmons was younger and a FA this year, he would be paid.
His bat completely disappeared in 2021, and he spent most of last year hurt. Completely reasonable for teams to not want to give him a ML contract
It was an honor to watch you play. You played shortstop as Baryshikov danced. Enjoy your retirement.
Darn….His 37.1 WAR is only 1.7 away from HOF-worthy(According to some, Baines 38.8 WAR) 😉
What struck me about his defense was the baseball iq. He always made the best decision on where to throw, let a blooper fall so he could make a double play etc. Things that have to happen so fast but he was three steps ahead.
I think at one point Scioscia had to threaten to put a leash on him before he ran over one of the outfielders. The dude could cover most of left field and shallow center by himself and ended up in the outfielders shadow a lot. Incredible instincts
Congratulations on a fine career. You were able to entertain many fans with your superb defense. Goodluck.
Could’ve been the next Ozzie. Fine career by Sim.
Lol lol please.
Look, Simmons put up 2 defensive WAR or more in 7 of his 11 seasons. Tell me that is not impressive.
Yes but please Ozzie was at another level beyond statistics.
The only thing that Ozzie has over Simmons is longevity. Which is a pretty big deal. Simmons was just as great as Ozzie, but only for about half of the time.
Simmons also had the intangibles “beyond statistics” that Ozzie had.
Maybe the next Vizquel, but he was not on Ozzie’s level. And that is not really meant as a shot, because even being close to Ozzie’s level is a tremendous accomplishment.
Amazing SS. Good luck post career Simba!
Missed his pension by about 9 months it looks like. I suppose he’ll be alright.
It’s not like he gets no pension. He’ll still get 95% of the maximum or whatever the math works out to.
Good point, Ted!
I guess he will just have to survive on his $71 million in career earnings instead of worrying about the $350 a month he missed out on in those 9 months.
Could be significant for him in another 20 years when it might pay him 300K+ annually.
Looks like I am not the only one who curiously follows whether guys pass that 10yr threshold?
Best shortstop I personally saw. Had a great feel for the defensive side of the ball.
7.9 WAR in 2017 and a Top 10 finish for MVP.
Average of 4.9 WAR/162 games. That’s Ozzie Smith territory.
Huge peak years. Difficult personal issues cut short a longer career.
You didn’t see many then my friend.
We’re not saying he’s BETTER than Ozzie Smith, we just thought he could’ve been.
I’m old and I can assure you I’ve seen ’em all.
You just see things differently than I do. Not worth the snark.
Johnny definitely agree I see things differently. Hell I would take the blade and his 200 average over this kid. Peace.
He’s the second best defensive shortstop ever, behind your boy Ozzie.
Been attending MLB games regularly since 1978 when Ozzie started playing and a full season ticket holder for the Angels all but 5 of those years. Ozzie is the only SS I have ever seen as good or better than Simba.
From age 22 to 32 Simba averaged 2.6 dWAR
From age 23 to 33 Ozzie averaged 2.6 dWAR
There was no DRS when Ozzie played, so we can only compare TotalZone Fielding Runs. Using the same ages Simba 124. Ozzie 139. No one else has ever been over 100 for an 11 season period.
Stats or eye test or any test you want. Simba was one of the best to ever play the position defensively.
From 2012 to 2022 no one came close to Simmons on defense. He was in a class all his own.
His retirement tour has been deferred.
Congratulations to Simmons on his retirement. I hope he stays involved in the game, perhaps as a scout or a coach assisting talented players in Curacao.
best shortstop i ever watched play and that includes ozzie smith
Tied for the 11th best defensive MLB player in history. And based on JAWS, he’s the 49th best SS in the history of the game. Better than HOFers John Ward, George Wright,, Martín Dihigo & Leo Durocher.
If he could have kept playing elite SS to age 32 even and then tailed off for a few years of merely good SS he’d have been in the HoF too. He was that good.
Really glad to see Simmons get all this love. I hated seeing him go to the Angels. Really glad especially to see so many Angels and Braves fans expressing their appreciation together.
Hope he comes back to creat another defensive whiz. Enjoy retirement, Simba!
Is Simmons the best player to never make an allstar team?
At least one better player didnt: Kirk Gibson.
Kirk Gibson and arguably Eric Chavez
Tim Salmon and Juan Pierre
The one deal Hart and Coppy did that I hated the second it was made, trading Simba to the Angels. He was young enough and signed long enough, he could’ve been a Brave his entire career. Best defensive shortstop I’ve ever seen.
That trade never made any sense at all to me. They should have been able to get back a better prospect than Newcomb if they insisted on moving Andrelton.
Hated them trading Alex Wood to the Dodgers for Olivera. One of the worst deals in Braves history. Ranks right up there w/Dusty Baker to the Dodgers.
This is why baseball players play and should play every day like it’s the final day of their career since they wouldn’t know it until it’s way over. Remember that this goes to everyone not just baseball players, capisci?
Live life revved, every second in high gear, devouring experience, forcing things?
Nothing’s more likely to leave you unable to appreciate the ebb and flows and actual experience of life than that.
He lived the dream and can look back with no regrets. I hope he stays involved with the game.
His 2017 was one of the greatest defensive seasons in baseball history.
Cheers Simba. Enjoy your travels.
Greatest SS of all time if he could’ve just hit like he did in his 20s once he hit 30.
“I love a good roast, you’re a real card Reede,
do Simmons”
“Simmons is old, he should’ve been out of the game year ago but he can’t go home because he hates his wife” -Fletcher Reede
That’s off the top of my head. Fairly certain that it’s the exact quote.
Great movie.
Remember when Minasian’s first move ever was trading for Jose Iglesias to take over for Simmons? He didn’t last the year. Jack Mayfield became the SS one year after Simmons! It was a sign of things to come as Iglesias had one year left on his deal starting a revolving door of mediocre players w one year left on their deals.
Simmons became a clubhouse liability with his public anti-vaxxer stance (regardless of how you personally feel about it). Combine that with a bat that became utterly unwatchable and quickly declining defense as his already limited speed declined into molasses status.
He was a very good player in his 20s though!
And good for him for taking that stance. He wasn’t the only one speaking up on the issue, so no, he wasn’t a clubhouse liability. If he could still play at a major league level he’d be on a roster somewhere.
You can always tell who are the stat boys and who actually watched a player actually play the games.
Yes
His time with Cubs was short, and the bat was clearly not there anymore but he could still flash the leather. Congrats on a great career, one of the greatest defensive players ever.
Another career ruined by the Cubs
Braves never should have traded Simmons and timbrel. some minor league busts, Sean Newcomb for 3 good years out of 6, the only back to bacon was Jesse Chavez in the ws.
better defensively. Should just be a coach.
Oh my, I knew he was damn good.. but he was also DAAAMN he was good!
yea as a braves fan i wanted simba over dansby any day of the week. hated to see him go
Jesus christ The dude made a total of just under 72 million for his entire career Meanwhile ohtani We’ll be pretty much making more Then that in one season Of course including endorsements and Wherever else he makes money off of Just crazy His AAV Without That thing He did to where he doesn’t get most of the money until From 2034-2043 or whatever Is 70 million alone smfh
Wait till Shohei signs a $125 mil/year podcast deal. He will be a billionaire within the next few years. Faster than any other athlete. And yes, Ippei will be his interpreter! Ippei has a huge fan base himself in fact. It will be huge!
I think the Halo’s always appreciated Simba but he never really got huge national recognition because they were never in the playoffs. Halo’s are in as sad a state as I’ve ever seen them. Lord have mercy on them.
Trumbo, I couldn’t agree any more. It’s a sobering reality.
As DieHard fans as we are, I am consistently hearing from a lot of them that they’ve FINALLY had enough. Need a break.
Ohtani was the melting point.
Even I haven’t been this down on the team since they let Ryan walk. At least Ryan didn’t go to the Dodgers
Braves ended up losing the Andrelton trade huge. The only piece left from dealing him in the Atlanta system is Huascar Ynoa if you follow the series of transactions over the years.
Thought he retired 15 years ago
When nobody wants to pay for your services any longer, what is left for you is to retire. This happens plenty in the non-sports world also. You bust your butt and give your all for employer(s), then due to new owners, new management, new technology, etc. you are unceremoniously shown the door. Then as you seek another employment opportunity the intentional discrimination (that is supposed to be against the law – but how do you prove it) begins and nobody will hire you.
So you retire, even though you didn’t want to retire.
More time to be a RFK Jr reply guy
Simmons career was cut short by ankle injuries.
Twice with the Angels while running out a grounder at first. Hits the bag full speed and that leading foot just craters. I thought he snapped it clean off the 2nd time. He never recovered mentally of physically and was never the same. Maybe the depression from that pushed his mental health over the edge?
I remember when I first saw him play and thought he was so much more polished than the flashy Rafael Furcal with the glove.
Furcal was one of those guys that would field the ball, then wait a few seconds and throw a bullet that sometimes didn’t beat the runner. Furcal seemed to always be looking for a way to show off his arm. Simmons would field the ball and get rid of it so quickly that he could throw it gently and still easily get the runner out. He rarely had to uncork a fastball because he was just so quick with his transition and really didn’t seem to want to be a show-off.
I know it’s just baseball, but I really wish Simmons could have played for the Braves a few more years rather than getting traded. He just played the game the right way.