Rays No. 4 prospect has shown elite speed that could easily translate to MLB

The Rays' current group of prospects has a wide variety of skills and abilities, and no one shows that more than Chandler Simpson.

Will Simpson ever hit a ball out of a professional baseball field in a game?

Um... maybe not, but he's one of, if not the fastest player in baseball across all levels, with stolen base figures that make you do a double take to make sure you read it correctly.

In 2023, Simpson nabbed 94 bags across A and A+, and in 2024 Simpson was promoted to AA after 32 games in A+.

Across those 2 levels this past season, Simpson stole 104 bases in only 110 games.

Whew. Ok, now that the shock value has worn off, how does Simpson fit into the Rays future plans?

The good news about Simpson is that he's produced offensively everywhere he's played, posting 130+ wRC+ marks in A+ and AA over the past 2 seasons.

He's also made the transition to center field from second base. While it's still up in the air if he's got what it takes to be able to capitalize on his elite speed by becoming a great center fielder, the early returns are encouraging.

Unfortunately, there is a large amount of risk with Simpson's profile, in that he has to become an elite defensive centerfielder and continue to be able to get on base at a high clip despite having what some scouts describe as "10-grade power."

He hasn't hit a ball out of the park in professional baseball, and his slugging numbers continue to be pedestrian at best.

But, optimism is always the way to go, and Simpson gives a lot of reason for thinking he can make his unique profile work at the big league level.

Simpson has a high floor with his amazing speed, as he can always carve out a Billy Hamilton-type career for himself.

Still, his ceiling might be a bit limited, as that power (or lack thereof) makes him a player who will have to hope his plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills can continue to be as good as they've been at the lower levels.

A good former-Ray comparison is that he ends up like Mallex Smith; a fine major leaguer for a few years, but not able to stick around anywhere.

The upside for Simpson is a Kenny Lofton-like career where he steals more bases than anyone who's not Rickey Henderson or Tim Raines and manages to be a quality everyday player as a solid center fielder.

Lofty expectations to impart on someone with 40+ future value on FanGraphs, but it's always better to shoot for the stars.

If there's any team that would give such an interesting player a shot, it's the Rays. They're as forward-thinking and outside-the-box as they come, and it wouldn't be a shock to see Simpson up in the bigs soon, especially if he's able to continue hitting and can continue to improve in center.