11-year MLB veteran Andrelton Simmons has announced his retirement according to his representatives on Instagram. Simmons didn’t play in the majors in 2023, in fact, the last time the defensive stalwart appeared in the majors was in July 2022.
Over the course of his career, Simmons established himself as one of the top defenders in baseball. While playing with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels, Simmons won four gold gloves. In his final two years, where he spent time with the Minnesota Twins and finally the Chicago Cubs, he wasn’t as good offensively or defensively.
For the first nine years of his career, Simmons may have been the best defender. He certainly was the best defender of his generation. In 2017, he set the single-season record for defensive runs saved when he was credited with 41. Throughout his career, he totaled 201 runs saved over 10,000 innings. He was creating highlights every time he was on the field.
Towards the end of his career, he was beginning to be replaced at shortstop with him transitioning to either second or third base. His defense was rare, so was his arm. Hence why some experts viewed him as a pitcher before the Braves ultimately stuck with him at Short.
On the offensive side, he never boasted an elite bat. His career totals include a slash line of .263/.312/.363 with 201 doubles, 23 triples and 70 home runs. However, he did have a few above-average offensive seasons where he earned back-end MVP votes. The highest he placed was in the top eight.
With Andrelton Simmons announcing his retirement, it begs the question as to whether or not he’ll be in the Hall of Fame. With just his defensive numbers alone, he definitely should be. In his generation, that type of elite defense was unheard of. Simmons made it a normality for guys like J.P. Crawford to play at the highest level.
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