Rays Prospect Claims He's the Fastest Man in All of Major League Baseball

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Treppedi | Last updated Mar 4, 2025 5:31 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Rays' spring training games have been highlighted by the sheer speed of outfielder Chandler Simpson.

Simpson, 24, is beating out routine ground outs to third base.

He led the minors with 104 stolen bases in 2024. He has accumulated 206 stolen bases in 233 minor-league games over the past three seasons.

On the 20-to-80 scouting scale, which rates player attributes from below average (20) to elite (80), Simpson ranks at the top in terms of speed.

One might think of how Simpson will stack against the likes of some of the most prolific base runners in MLB: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Elly De La Cruz and Bobby Witt Jr.

Simpson said he would "definitely" beat any of them in a foot race.

"I think I’m taking myself over everybody in baseball," Simpson said to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

In addition to his speed, Simpson has upside at the plate, too. He holds a .326/.394/.375 slash line

"That bat-to-ball skill, to me, is just like Tony Gwynn," said 17-year MLB veteran Marquis Grissom of Simpson's profile. "Unbelievable. Tough out. Great eye. Knows the strike zone. Going to battle you to death,” said Grissom. “Going to piss the pitchers off at the plate and from the mound. Not only that — he’s got a chance to bring the speed game back to baseball.”

That said, Simpson doesn't offer a ton of power in his bat, which makes his hitting metrics all the more conspicuous. His acumen for stealing/reaching bases and playing center field without the other tools on his belt makes him arguably one of the most interesting prospects in the minors alone.

“At every level, people have scratched their heads: ‘Is this going to work? Is this going to play?’ ” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “It plays, and then some.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: