Good luck trying to slow down Cotuit's Chandler Simpson (and his MLB Draft stock)
SOUTH YARMOUTH -- Chandler Simpson's stock is rising, and it's rising fast.
And that's fitting, as no can seem to slow him down (or get him out).
The Atlanta native is coming off a season at Georgia Tech where he hit .433, leading all Division 1 hitters by a whopping .022. A gap that large separated No. 2 Sam Kulasingam of Air Force, who hit .411, and No. 22 in the NCAA leaderboard. His 27 stolen bases tied him for 30th in the country.
After the season ended for the Yellow Jackets in the NCAA Regionals, he made his way to Cape Cod, where he's showcasing his skills with the Cotuit Kettleers.
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Success in the spring doesn't always translate to the summer, especially in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The difference between those who hit well with an aluminum bat versus those that can do it with the lumber is often what separates those who can play at the next level.
Cotuit manger Mike Roberts has seen a lot of players who have that Major League talent, and he believes Simpson falls into that category.
Simpson is Cape Cod Player of Week
"Short, compact, flat. He just throws his hands," Roberts said of Simpson's swing. "I think he's going to play in the Major Leagues with his bat."
Simpson is the reigning Cape Cod Player of the Week.
He's set the league ablaze at the plate, and his .475 batting average is first by .100 points. He's 19-for-40 this spring with three doubles. He's stolen eight bases in 11 games.
On Wednesday, he was at the forefront of Cotuit's 4-1 win over the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Simpson was 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored.
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The Kettleers run a fast-paced offense. Roberts has built a foundation of creating runs with smart, aggressive baserunning. Simpson has slotted right into that approach.
"He's aggressive and he likes to run and when he gets to first base he wants to run," Roberts said. "I have a saying, 'Let's always want to go right,' and he wants to go right all the time."
Speed is Simpson's game
For Simpson, the speed that has proven to be such a tool throughout his career is something he's been aware of since he was little.
"When I first started playing, I knew that speed was my game," Simpson said. "I knew that was going to get me to where I wanted to go."
The rare combination of his contact-hitting and his speed has proven to be a major key in Cotuit's early season success. In his 11 games for the first-place Kettleers, he has multiple hits in seven of them, and scored runs in six.
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Simpson realizes the opportunity that's in front of him and is determined to make the most of it.
"(I wanted to) stay sharp, get used to wooden bats and prove to other scouts that I could play with the big boys," he said. "This is the top league in the country, where the best players play at, and this is the last thing off my resumé."
MLB.com lists Simpson as the No. 134-ranked prospect ahead of the upcoming draft. He figures to hear his named called pretty early as a draft-eligible sophomore. Roberts is excited about the prospect of him taking the next step, and is appreciating the time he has to work with him.
"It is such a pleasure (to watch him hit), you just don't see many kids like that," said Roberts. "We'll miss his bat and his baserunning, but we'll miss him most as a person. He's just a wonderful person."
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cotuit's Chandler Simpson is one of the best hitters in the country
