Kendall Simmons is the Phuture Phillies’ Readers’ #21 Pick.
Kendall Logan Simmons was born in Macon, Georgia. He is the son of Michael and Felicia Simmons. He has two brothers Blake (Jordan Blake) who played one season for Georgia Southern in the Sunbelt Conference and Austin.
Simmons attended Tattnall Square Academy. He played shortstop, third base, and pitched during his high school career. He led his team to state championships in 2016 and 2018. His team lost in the semifinals in 2015 and the finals in 2017.
2016: Simmons slashed .382/.478/.563 with 30 runs scored and 30 RBI. He had 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 5 HRs.
At a fall 2016 Under Armour Showcase, the following scouting report was compiled. Simmons is a gifted athlete with big tools and the ability to use them. He has a strong, solid frame and generates outstanding bat speed with very good eye/hand coordination – a combination that leads to consistent loud contact. He can catch up to velocity, reacts well to off-speed, and can drive balls out of the park. Defensively, Simmons reacts well to the ball off the bat, is sure-handed, and has a plus arm across the diamond (94 mph raw arm strength). He plays low and can throw from different arm angles and make plays on the run. Overall, this is a special prospect with an extremely high ceiling.
2017: Simmons slashed .417/.570/.766 with 33 runs scored and 29 RBI. He had 6 doubles and 5 HRs.
Simmons was selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic
In January 2018, MLB rated his tools as follows (present/future):
- Running Speed – 55/50
- Arm Strength – 65/70
- Hitting for Average – 30/50
- Hitting for Power – 35/55
- Fielding – 30/50
2018: Simmons slashed .343/.431/.542 with 43 runs scored and 25 RBI. He had 9 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 HRs.
Simmons holds Tattnall HS career records with 145 hits (2015-18) and 142 runs scored. He is second with 117 career RBIs. He is second with 48 runs scored in a season (2017) and fifth with 44 (2018).
Simmons was a pre-season HS All-American prior to the 2018 season. Fellow Georgian Kumar Rocker was also honored.
Simmons was named to the 2018 MaxPreps Small Schools All-American Baseball Team.
Simmons was a Georgia Tech commit when he was selected by the Phillies in the 6th round of the 2018 Amateur Draft, the 167 overall pick.
2018: Simmons debuted in the GCL and posted a .232/.345/.400/.745 slash in 113 plate appearances with 7 doubles and 3 HRs. He had 9 walks and 30 strikeouts and was successful in just 2 of 6 stolen base attempts.
2019: in 51 games/205 plate appearances with Low-A Williamsport, Simmons slashed .234/.333/.521/.854 with 7 doubles, 3 triples, and 12 HRs. He walked 20 times and struck He was successful in only 5 of 11 stolen base attempts. But, the power surge really excited people.
2020: pandemic
Simmons was sent to Adelaide to play in the Australian Baseball League for their 2020-21 season. He had a disappointing season, but it came after little-to-no supervised baseball activities during the pandemic summer.
2021: Simmons played for Class-A Clearwater but for a short rehab in the FCL. He slashed a combined .225/.329/.449/.778 in 170 plate appearances. he had 11 doubles, 2 triples, and 6 HR. He walked 16 times, struck out 41 times, and was successful in 7 of 9 stolen base attempts.
Prospects Live prepared a pre-2021 season scouting report on Simmons.
Physical Description: Muscular, athletic body. Ideal body type for a left-side infielder. Confident movements that are loose and smooth.
Hit: Slightly open stance with a little crouch; hands high at the head with an athletic base. Small leg lift with uppercut swing providing average bat speed. Rotational swing using strength to find power. Aggressive in at bats, but may be too eager early in counts. Uppercut swing leads to fewer hits and more strikeouts, so he will have to learn to find a way on base more. His power will be an asset but may be useless if he doesn’t have better at bats. Grade: 30
Power: Simmons has good raw power, but struggles to present it in games. His power is very apparent when you see his frame and swing. It will be a strong asset in the future, but he needs to have better at bats to be able to show it off. Grade: 55
Field: Smooth rhythm from the left side of the diamond with generally soft hands. Always moving his feet in the infield both through and around the ball. Occasionally fielding is too loose – increased reps can prevent simple errors. Will need work tracking the ball into his glove as he progresses. Lots of room for potential improvement. Grade: 40
Arm: Solid arm across the field. The ball has good zip and accuracy as he works through the ball well. Ball shows carry – no struggle throwing from anywhere in the infield. Grade: 55
Run: Quick hustle on the basepaths. Gets out of the box well – good speed down the line. Average knowledge on base, likes to be aggressive and take another base if he can. Grade: 50
Overall: Simmons is built well for his position – a power-hitting infielder. That power has been shown off many times through BP or in his extra-base hits, but that power may be useless unless he can find more hits. His eager uppercut swings put him in a role of home run or bust, which could be okay as long as he finds other ways to get on base. A lot of grounder reps would be a good investment because he has the potential to become a good fielder with the strength of his arm. He will be 21 rolling into the 2021 season, so he has time to work on his weaknesses, but needs to fix them soon to be a top-rated prospect. His physical attributes show that there is a lot of potential if he’s able to put it all together.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 – Below-Average Player: Bench or Platoon
Risk: Moderate
Simmons’ stock rose when he hit those 12 HRs in Williamsport. He batted .383/.480/.967/1.447 in an 18 game stretch in which he hit 9 of those 12 HRs. But, …
Phuture Phillies 
Reading the synopsis of Kendall Simmons it always amazes me on how tough it is to make it to the ‘Show”.
A very talented HS or College player fizzles out in the Minors is a common occurrence. When you are sitting in the stands and watching a Little League game, probably a few if any of the players can even make a HS team and then only a few can start. Parents spend so much money on sports academies, traveling teams and equipment, and only few will make it. So many dreams. I had them too, for me, my kids and now grandchildren.
You have to let your kids play because they enjoy it and get something out of it. Try hard not to be a typical sports parent (i.e., pushy jerk). It’s about the team, not your kid. I never, ever complained to a coach about my kid playing except when there was a guaranteed minimum playing requirement in the league (little league) or the coach put my kid’s health seriously in jeopardy (like the time my son’s elbow was sore and I told the coach to pitch him only 2 innings due to his health and he went ahead a let him pitch a complete game – I was not a happy camper that day). It’s okay for the kid to learn that it’s perfectly fine not to be the star or a starter. Work hard, be a good teammate and if you want to play more, practice and get better. It’s a good life lesson.
Only the most gifted will be good enough to get drafted or play a sport where they can obtain a scholarship and, trust me, being a scholarship athlete is no picnic, especially at a tough academic school. My future son-in-law was a scholarship football player at a very good academic college and it was not easy to keep up his grades with the ridiculous demands of college football.
And, you know, if your kid wants to play multiple sports, let them do that for as long as possible. It’s about them, not the parent.