SB Nation • 4 min read

Player of the Series: Chandler Simpson

We are nearing the end of the regular season and the Rays playoff hopes have been thoroughly dashed. However, there are still some bright spots to keep you tuning into these games daily and one of those is Chandler Simpson.

Simpson has proven that he can be a successful hitter in the Major Leagues as he looked to become the first rookie in team history to finish a season hitting over .300 (Jake Mangum is also pretty close as he is at .293). The 24-year old Simpson had been slumping a bit but his bat

has come around over the past two weeks. Simpson knocked a hit in each game of the four game series and overall hit .471/.500/.647 with three doubles and two stolen bases; he also scored four of the Rays 12 runs over the four games. In the outfield, Simpson has struggled mightily at times but he did make a game saving catch on Wednesday, taking away a potential homerun.

Overall this season, Simpson is hitting .301/.33/.352 with 42 stolen bases, registering a 92 wRC+ and accruing 0.7 fWAR over 103 games.

NOTE: Yandy Diaz was also deserving this series, he hit .583/.722/.667 over 18 PA and Carson Williams deserves to be credited with his .333/.400/.778 production. On the mound, Ian Seymour was incredible with seven innings, yielding just an unearned run.

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DRAYSBAY PLAYER OF THE SERIES