Checking in on top-30 Phillies prospect Kendall Simmons

Without a 2020 minor-league season, No. 26-ranked Philadelphia Phillies prospect Kendall Simmons is among the organization’s prospects currently gaining valuable plate appearances and innings in the infield, playing for the Adelaide Giants in the current Australian Baseball League season.

Also, this past summer, the 20-year-old and other players — including Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox, AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis of the Seattle Mariners, and Carter Kieboom of the Washington Nationals — got together in the Atlanta area. Not only was Simmons able to stay fresh and keep his skills up, sidelined due to the pandemic, but he also changed his swing.

https://twitter.com/ABL/status/1346670524357693441

Phillies prospect Kendall Simmons can field shortstop, second, and third base.

Drafted in the sixth round of the 2018  draft, Simmons played his first professional season that year in the Gulf Coast League with the rookie-level Phillies East. In 32 games, he hit three home runs, 11 RBI and had a .232 average across 95 at-bats.

In 2019, Simmons played 51 games for the Williamsport Crosscutters, logging 12 home runs, 34 RBI and a .234 average through 171 at-bats.

So far, the Dave Dombrowski-led organization seems pleased with the progress Simmons has made. “His bat speed is off the charts, and he has one of the highest average exit velocities in our system,” Josh Bonifay, Phillies Director of Player Development, told Baseball America. “We like the power and we like the bat-to-ball skills.”

Simmons changing his swing has yet to pay dividends on the field in Australia. As of Wednesday, he has had 38 at-bats over 14 games, logging only one home run, three RBI, two walks, and a .158 average.

Despite this, the Phillies organization remains confident in the Georgia native. “He’s a very interesting prospect,” Bonifay added. He’s aggressive and plays with a lot of passion.”

The future looks bright for this talented Phillies prospect.