Shae Austin Simmons (born September 3, 1990) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...

Career

Simmons attended Scott City High School in Scott City, Missouri and

Southeast Missouri State University Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing the Holland Co ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Atlanta Braves

Simmons was drafted by the

in the 22nd round of the

2012 Major League Baseball Draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto ...

. In his first professional season, Simmons pitched for the Danville Braves and Gulf Coast Braves. He appeared in 16 games with a 1.46

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA) and 36 strikeouts in innings pitched. In 2013, he played for the

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team serve ...

and Mississippi Braves. He finished the season with a 1.69 ERA and 82 strikeouts over innings in 50 games. He was named to the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

All-Star Game. In 2014, Simmons was invited to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

with the Braves. He started the 2014 season back with Double-A Mississippi. He was called up to the major leagues for the first time on May 30, 2014. He made his major league debut the next day, striking out the only batter he faced. On July 19, 2014, Simmons gave up a home run to Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins. This marked the first time Simmons had allowed a home run since May 18, 2012, his senior year in college. Simmons was enjoying a successful ride in the Braves bullpen until he landed on the disabled list on July 29 with shoulder soreness. In his first 20 appearances, he had a 0.96 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 6 walks. Simmons told reporters he "held off" telling the Braves about the tightness, thinking it wasn't "too serious". On August 20, he was temporarily shut down following an unsuccessful rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett, and he didn't return to the mound the rest of the season. Despite the abrupt end to his season, he impressed in a mere 21.2 innings, going 1-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 23 strikeouts to only 11 walks. Expected to enter the season competing for the primary setup role to closer Craig Kimbrel, Simmons received unfortunate news when an MRI revealed a tear to his UCL in his throwing elbow, causing him to miss the entire 2015 season. On February 12, 2015, Simmons underwent successful Tommy John surgery, performed by

Dr. James Andrews James Andrews (born May 2, 1942) is an American orthopedic surgeon. He is a surgeon for knee, elbow, and shoulder injuries and is a specialist in repairing damaged ligaments. Practicing in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Andrews has become one of the best ...

. He began pitching again in May 2016, but recovery was slow, as he was affected by other minor injuries. The Braves recalled Simmons on August 30.

Seattle Mariners

On January 11, 2017, Simmons was traded, along with Mallex Smith, to the

in exchange for minor-league pitchers

Luiz Gohara Luiz Henrique Gohara (born July 31, 1996) is a Brazilian former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves in 2017 and 2018. Career Seattle Mariners Gohara signed with the Seattle Mariners for $ ...

and Thomas Burrows.

Chicago Cubs

On February 14, 2018, Simmons signed a one-year split contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

. Simmons was placed on waivers on June 26, 2018 and was outrighted on June 27, but rather than accept the assignment, he rejected it in favor of free agency.

References

External links

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Shae 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Cape Girardeau, Missouri People from Scott County, Missouri Baseball players from Missouri Major League Baseball pitchers Atlanta Braves players Seattle Mariners players Southeast Missouri State Redhawks baseball players Gulf Coast Braves players Danville Braves players Rome Braves players Mississippi Braves players Scottsdale Scorpions players Gwinnett Braves players Arizona League Mariners players Arkansas Travelers players Tacoma Rainiers players Iowa Cubs players