Name: Kendall Simmons
Position: SS
Born: April 11, 2000
Country: US
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’2″ 180lbs
How Acquired: Drafted in the 6th Round of the 2018 Draft by the Phillies
Signed: June 12, 2018
Bonus: $750,000
Options Remaining: 3
Rule 5 Eligible: 2022
MiLB Free Agency: 2024
Stats
Hitter Statcast
*Statcast data only available for FSL (2021-2023), AAA (2023), and isolated select games and locations.
| Year | Balls in Play | Average EV | 90th Percentile EV | Max EV | Median Launch Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 81 | 87.3 | 103.7 | 110.8 | 16.5 |
| 2022 | 186 | 85.6 | 104.3 | 110 | 21 |
| 2023 | 2 | 88.6 | 100.4 | 103.4 | 19 |
Prospect Rankings
Role: Power over hit bench infielder
Risk: Extreme – Simmons has never had 400 plate appearances in 4 full seasons, and he continues to swing and miss at a high rate.
Summary: Simmons was a raw player when the Phillies drafted him out of high school, and he largely has looked like that through his time in the Phillies system. He has plus to plus plus raw power coming from excellent bat speed, but his swing has some swing and miss, pitch recognition and plate discipline struggle at times. He has also missed time to injury in every season. 2023 was no exception, and he only managed 59 games with 4 trips to the injured list. He was incrementally better at the plate in 2023, and has tapped into his power much more consistently, especially just going to the pull side. Defensively, Simmons is primarily a second baseman, where he does not look out of place, and he still sees time at third as well. His swing and miss will likely hold him back from becoming anything, but the shape of a player is starting to make more sense, and he could be a power infield bat off of a team’s bench eventually.
2024 Outlook: Simmons should open the year in Reading, and while staying healthy is a big part of a successful season, he is slated to become a minor league free agent after the season, so 2024 could make or break his career.
Simmons continues to make loud contact and had a bright 17 games in Jersey Shore to end the year. There are still massive questions about how much contact he will make and where he ends up defensively.
Simmons hits the ball hard, but not consistently at the top end of the spectrum. His contact abilities have stagnated, and he has started to slip down the defensive spectrum again. He still has interesting tools, but the missed year of development, coupled with injuries in 2021, has put him behind his peers developmentally.
Jamari Baylor and Kendall Simmons are both shortstops for now, but both are almost certainly moving off the position, with Baylor likely heading for second or center and Simmons to second, third, or an outfield corner. Baylor is a hit tool first guy who derives power from bat speed and hard contact. Simmons has bat speed and a hard swing, but makes a lot less contact and some of the hardest contact in the system when he does connect. Both need a lot of work and development at bats and come with enormous risk. They also both have everyday upside and possibly more than that.
Role: Solid Regular
Risk: Extreme – Simmons has shown plenty of contact issues at multiple levels, and only a very small time period of putting things all together in Williamsport. He isn’t a polished defender, but he showed enough in 2019 that he should be able to stick on the infield, which takes a lot of pressure off of his offensive performance.
Summary: The Phillies split the money saved on Alec Bohm between two raw high upside high schoolers, Dominic Pipkin and Kendall Simmons. Simmons was a shortstop with a good arm and big raw power. He has an ideal frame for projectable growth and is athletic enough to stay on the infield. His actions and instincts are far from ideal at shortstop, but he has shown more aptitude at second and third base, and it looks like he should be able to stay on the infield. Simmons has plenty of bat speed and is able to use it to generate plus raw power. He has some large contact issues at the plate, but the Williamsport coaches were able to help quiet his swing at the plate, which allowed him to really take off in the second half of the season (.169/.235/.324 4BB:27K before July 27, and .280/.398/.660 16BB:27K after). The midseason improvements bode well for Simmmons’ future, because he still has a lot of swing and miss he needs to reduce in his game. He is still young and he is still far away, but he could be a power first 2B/3B with the right amount of growth. There is a small chance things click even more for him, and given his raw power and athleticism, he could suddenly explode as a top prospect.
2020 Outlook: Simmons should start the year in Lakewood, and possibly move around the infield more than stick at a single position. If his late surge in Williamsport is real, he could get a midseason bump to Clearwater.
Role: Average Regular
Risk: Extreme – Simmons has all kinds of major league tools and a chance to stay at shortstop. However, the biggest question mark is his hit tool, and his approach and feel for contact are very raw at this point in his career.
Summary: The Phillies were missing their 2nd and 3rd round picks from signing Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana, and they looked to replace that upside with overslot bonus to Simmons and Dominic Pipkin. Simmons is not a super athletic shortstop, but he has loud tools, starting with his power and arm. Right now he is a shortstop, but he is only an average runner so any loss of speed as he ages and bulks up will likely force him to third base. While Simmons has big raw power, there have been a lot of questions about his hit tool. He didn’t hit against showcase arms over the summer before his senior year, and in his start to pro-ball he went 3-27 with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts. After that he hit .279/.395/.500 with 8 walks to 20 strikeouts in 81 PAs. If he can hit enough to get to his power, Simmons could be a power hitting, good glove third baseman. If he can stick at shortstop, his upside is immense. It might take a while for the pieces to come together for Simmons, but the payoff could be worth it.
2019 Outlook: Simmons will open the year in the complex, and if he has a good spring he should go north to Williamsport. However, given how raw he is at the plate, he might have a repeat year in the GCL.
Role: Power over hit bench infielder
Risk: Extreme – Simmons has never had 400 plate appearances in 4 full seasons, and he continues to swing and miss at a high rate.
Summary: Simmons was a raw player when the Phillies drafted him out of high school, and he largely has looked like that through his time in the Phillies system. He has plus to plus plus raw power coming from excellent bat speed, but his swing has some swing and miss, pitch recognition and plate discipline struggle at times. He has also missed time to injury in every season. 2023 was no exception, and he only managed 59 games with 4 trips to the injured list. He was incrementally better at the plate in 2023, and has tapped into his power much more consistently, especially just going to the pull side. Defensively, Simmons is primarily a second baseman, where he does not look out of place, and he still sees time at third as well. His swing and miss will likely hold him back from becoming anything, but the shape of a player is starting to make more sense, and he could be a power infield bat off of a team’s bench eventually.
2024 Outlook: Simmons should open the year in Reading, and while staying healthy is a big part of a successful season, he is slated to become a minor league free agent after the season, so 2024 could make or break his career.
Simmons continues to make loud contact and had a bright 17 games in Jersey Shore to end the year. There are still massive questions about how much contact he will make and where he ends up defensively.
Simmons hits the ball hard, but not consistently at the top end of the spectrum. His contact abilities have stagnated, and he has started to slip down the defensive spectrum again. He still has interesting tools, but the missed year of development, coupled with injuries in 2021, has put him behind his peers developmentally.
Jamari Baylor and Kendall Simmons are both shortstops for now, but both are almost certainly moving off the position, with Baylor likely heading for second or center and Simmons to second, third, or an outfield corner. Baylor is a hit tool first guy who derives power from bat speed and hard contact. Simmons has bat speed and a hard swing, but makes a lot less contact and some of the hardest contact in the system when he does connect. Both need a lot of work and development at bats and come with enormous risk. They also both have everyday upside and possibly more than that.
Role: Solid Regular
Risk: Extreme – Simmons has shown plenty of contact issues at multiple levels, and only a very small time period of putting things all together in Williamsport. He isn’t a polished defender, but he showed enough in 2019 that he should be able to stick on the infield, which takes a lot of pressure off of his offensive performance.
Summary: The Phillies split the money saved on Alec Bohm between two raw high upside high schoolers, Dominic Pipkin and Kendall Simmons. Simmons was a shortstop with a good arm and big raw power. He has an ideal frame for projectable growth and is athletic enough to stay on the infield. His actions and instincts are far from ideal at shortstop, but he has shown more aptitude at second and third base, and it looks like he should be able to stay on the infield. Simmons has plenty of bat speed and is able to use it to generate plus raw power. He has some large contact issues at the plate, but the Williamsport coaches were able to help quiet his swing at the plate, which allowed him to really take off in the second half of the season (.169/.235/.324 4BB:27K before July 27, and .280/.398/.660 16BB:27K after). The midseason improvements bode well for Simmmons’ future, because he still has a lot of swing and miss he needs to reduce in his game. He is still young and he is still far away, but he could be a power first 2B/3B with the right amount of growth. There is a small chance things click even more for him, and given his raw power and athleticism, he could suddenly explode as a top prospect.
2020 Outlook: Simmons should start the year in Lakewood, and possibly move around the infield more than stick at a single position. If his late surge in Williamsport is real, he could get a midseason bump to Clearwater.
Role: Average Regular
Risk: Extreme – Simmons has all kinds of major league tools and a chance to stay at shortstop. However, the biggest question mark is his hit tool, and his approach and feel for contact are very raw at this point in his career.
Summary: The Phillies were missing their 2nd and 3rd round picks from signing Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana, and they looked to replace that upside with overslot bonus to Simmons and Dominic Pipkin. Simmons is not a super athletic shortstop, but he has loud tools, starting with his power and arm. Right now he is a shortstop, but he is only an average runner so any loss of speed as he ages and bulks up will likely force him to third base. While Simmons has big raw power, there have been a lot of questions about his hit tool. He didn’t hit against showcase arms over the summer before his senior year, and in his start to pro-ball he went 3-27 with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts. After that he hit .279/.395/.500 with 8 walks to 20 strikeouts in 81 PAs. If he can hit enough to get to his power, Simmons could be a power hitting, good glove third baseman. If he can stick at shortstop, his upside is immense. It might take a while for the pieces to come together for Simmons, but the payoff could be worth it.
2019 Outlook: Simmons will open the year in the complex, and if he has a good spring he should go north to Williamsport. However, given how raw he is at the plate, he might have a repeat year in the GCL.