H/W: 6-4 220 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 9/29/86
The former 2007 1st rounder had a solid season at AA Midland going 9-6 with a 3.51 ERA and 120 K's in 136 IP. The biggest asset in James Simmons' skill set is his impeccable command. Simmons surrendered just 32 bases on balls last season and allowed just 37 walks in 270 IP during his career at UC Riverside. James' best pitch is his low 90's fastball, which he locates well in all quadrants of the strike zone. He also has a slider, curve and change that are less effective offerings. Simmons tends to pitch to contact quite often and doesn't have dominant enough stuff to put away hitters at times. AA hitters batted .282 against Simmons last year and he induced a less than desirable GO/FO ratio of 0.92. The Athletics are keeping him as a starter right now, but his lack of a breaking pitch and ability to add velocity as a reliever may eventually shift him to the bullpen.
2009 Projection: Simmons is slated to pitch at AAA Sacramento this year with a possibility of earning some MLB innings at some point later in the summer. The A's are flush with better arms in their system (Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Vin Mazzaro, Michel Inoa, Gio Gonzalez) than Simmons', yet he could wriggle his way into the back end of the rotation as soon as next season. The PCL is a difficult place for pitchers, especially flyball pitchers. Watch to see if James can employ better movement on his offspeed pitches and induce more ground ball outs. If he can, he should be able to progress as a starter, and if he doesn't he may find himself eventually relegated to the role of middle reliever.
Key James Simmons Baseball Cards:
- 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto
- 2007 Bowman Sterling Auto
- 2007 Donruss Elite Auto #/624
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 James Simmons 2007 Elite Extra School Colors 1500 US $1.50 |
 2007 Donruss Elite James Simmons Rookie Autograph Bv$10 US $1.99 |
 2007 Bowman Sterling James Simmons Pros Auto Oakland US $.25 |
 2007 Bowman Chrome James Simmons Rc Autograph Auto US $.25 |
 2007 Bowman Chrome James Simmons Refractor Auto D 500 US $.25 |
 James Simmons 2007 Elite Extra 419 624 Auto Rookie 103 US $3.95 |
 James Simmons 2007 Donruss Elite School Colors 30 1500 US $2.00 |
 2007 Tristar Prospects Plus Fh Js2 James Simmons Auto US $1.99 |
 2007 Elite James Simmons Totc Rc Autograph 100 US $15.00 |
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