This March, Chandler Simpson did not look like the piece that would pull the Tampa Bay Rays into October. His speed was never in doubt, but everything else around him made it hard to picture him as an everyday outfielder on a contender. The Rays had just slogged through the last two seasons, and even with Shane McClanahan potentially healthy and Yandy still capable of being a league-leading hitter, the offseason additions of Nick Martinez, Ben Williamson and Ryan Vilade did not exactly scream playoff push.
Simpson, though, has become the face of this group.
That would have sounded off a few months ago. Last year, his defense was a real problem.
The eye test said as much, and the numbers backed it up, with Defensive Runs Saved putting him at -4 for the 2025 season. His speed could mask some mistakes, but it could not hide the fact that he was not getting to balls cleanly enough in the outfield.
The bat looked even more limited. Simpson has always made contact, almost never strikes out, and rarely walks.
But there is no pop in the profile at all. He has never hit a major league home run, and even his doubles and triples tend to come on grounders that sneak into the right corner.
It is a very narrow offensive lane, and it never seemed like enough to carry a regular job.
Yet here the Rays are, a playoff team with Simpson in left field every day.
What has changed most is the glove. Simpson reportedly spent the offseason working to improve his defense, and this time the work has shown up.
He is at 8 Defensive Runs Saved this season, and Statcast gives him a 93 out of 100 for range. The arm is still a weak point, but the overall picture is different now.
His routes no longer feel like the kind of wandering chase that used to define his outfield work.
The offense, by contrast, has not transformed nearly as much as it may seem at a glance. His batting average and on-base percentage are only slightly better than they were at the end of last season, and with half a month left, the improvement is modest rather than dramatic.
The raw totals are up - more hits, more stolen bases - but that is partly because he has had more at bats after spending portions of 2025 in the minors. The same basic truth still applies: no power, little walking, almost no strikeouts.
One number does stand out, though. Simpson has nine sac bunts this year, up from three last season.
That fits the way the Rays are using him now. His own game may not have changed much, but the offense around him has, and that has made his skill set matter more in the kinds of small-ball wins this team is stacking up.
When Tampa Bay puts together a three-run inning with a few singles, a couple stolen bases and a sac bunt, Simpson is usually in the middle of it.
There are still obvious questions about what comes next. A player built almost entirely on speed is always one hamstring away from losing his edge, and it is fair to wonder how long a corner outfielder with no power can hold up.
But right now, in 2026, the Rays are built around him. This is Chandler Simpson’s team, and it fits the speed, energy and discipline he brings every day.
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The timing matters because the Rays have spent much of the season trying to build a path into meaningful September baseball, and Mesa has become one of the players giving that effort some momentum. Merrill was a key piece in San Diegos winning streak, while Laras defensive work helped Milwaukee in its own playoff-clinching moment, but Mesas recent impact has left Rays fans with a fresh reason to look ahead and wonder how far this run can carry them. [Read more 🡒]