Since the end of the 2014 campaign, the Atlanta Braves have traded away key players in Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel and Evan Gattis.
What they didn’t part with, however, was Andrelton Simmons—the best defensive shortstop in the MLB. And Friday night showed a perfect example of why the Braves kept him around.
New York Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud smacked a grounder into the hole between Simmons and Atlanta third baseman Chris Johnson, whose diving attempt was off the mark.
However, Simmons tracked it down and lasered a 130-foot screamer to a stretched Freddie Freeman to record the out.
While Freeman using every bit of his 6’6″ frame was remarkably impressive in its own right, Simmons’ ability to put that much force into a throw off his back foot from the outfield grass was simply absurd.
Additionally, his impressive play provided yet another support to the franchise’s decision last February, when they signed Simmons to a seven-year deal. Although the fourth-year pro is a career .251 hitter, he’s worth the $59 million because of his defense.
Per Baseball-Reference.com, Simmons earned National League Gold Gloves and led the MLB in Defensive Wins Above Replacement in both 2013 and 2014.
And if the 25-year-old continues making plays like he did in Friday’s 5-3 victory over the Mets, neither trend will change in 2015.
Photo: USA Today Images