5 reasons the Braves shouldn’t have traded Andrelton Simmons
By John Buhler
3. Simmons Might Do Even Better on His Second Team
The two players that Simmons is often compared to are Smith and Vizquel because of their defensive prowess. Now that Simmons is on the Los Angeles Angels, maybe his bat finally comes around enough to get him into a Mid-Summer Classic.
Remember that neither Smith or Vizquel starred on their first team in the same manner that they did with their second club. Smith was originally a member of the San Diego Padres. Though he made his most memorable defensive play while with San Diego, he really became the Wizard of Oz while with the St. Louis Cardinals. Smith helped the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series and get to two more in 1985 and 1987. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2002.
Vizquel was always a light hitting shortstop. He struggled to remain a big leaguer while with the Seattle Mariners. However when he joined the Cleveland Indians, he was part of two American League Champion teams there in 1995 and 1997. It’s still odd that neither of those Indians teams won a World Series, with that lineup. Vizquel recently retired, but many view him as a no doubt Hall of Famer at the end of the day.
Simmons is already immensely talented. Would a change of scenery take him from a great defensive player and turn him into an all-around All-Star caliber player. He’s at that age where the bat starts to catch up to the glove. Both Scott Rolen and Yadier Molina had great improvements in their offensive game around this time. Should Simmons become a great offensive player too, Atlanta may end up regretting this trade.
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