Wayne Simpson

From BR Bullpen

Wayne Kirby Simpson

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.

Debut April 9, 1970
Final Game September 29, 1977
Born December 2, 1948 in Los Angeles, CA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

When Wayne Simpson made his Major League debut at the beginning of the 1970 season, the Cincinnati Reds were in the midst of building a dynasty that would win six division titles in the 1970s, going to four World Series and winning two of them. By 1970, the Reds, long recognized as a good offensive team in the 1960s, were building a stable of good, young pitchers like Don Gullett, Gary Nolan and Simpson.

A tall, broad-shouldered high school pitcher, Simpson was drafted by the Reds in 1967 out of high school with the No. 8 pick in the amateur draft. By 1970, Simpson had reached the majors. And his Major League debut against his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers on April 9 couldn't have been much better. Simpson allowed just two hits as he faced only one batter above the minimum of 28 in hurling a 2-hit shutout. Simpson was a key member of a staff that helped the Reds start the season 70-30 on their way to the pennant. He made the National League All-Star squad in a game hosted at the new Riverfront Stadium. But arm problems plagued Simpson, who crafted a 14-3 record and a fine 3.02 ERA in an offense-heavy year in baseball. Simpson finished the year with the Reds on the disabled list with ligament damage and was unable to pitch in the postseason.

Even though he recovered enough to pitch again, Simpson was never the same pitcher. In a pre-Tommy John surgery, pre-pitch count era, Simpson's arm was seriously damaged and while he was able to recover enough strength to pitch again in the majors, he was unable to recapture the velocity, the electric stuff that made him one of the game's rising stars as a 21-year-old rookie. By 1977, he was out of baseball for good. All three young Red pitchers, Nolan, Gullett and Simpson, would suffer arm problems throughout their careers and be out of baseball before the end of the decade.