Georgia Tech Professional Athletes

Some pundits said Chandler Simpson shouldn't even be in the lineup. The Georgia Tech alumnus answered with the biggest hit of his postseason.

In Game 3 of the Rays-Guardians ALDS on Thursday, October 15, Simpson lined a go-ahead two-RBI triple into the right-field gap, swinging momentum decisively in Tampa Bay's favor. The Rays won 2-3 — and Simpson, batting .200 on the night with two RBI, was at the center of it.

The timing was pointed. Just days before the series began, Sports Illustrated had published a piece arguing it might be best for the Rays to sit Simpson in the postseason — questioning whether the left fielder could deliver under October pressure. Simpson's answer came in the form of a hard-hit ball splitting the outfield when it mattered most.

It wasn't a flawless series to that point. Simpson went hitless in Game 1 (a 3-7 Rays loss) and posted a .111 average through the opener. He added a hit and a run scored in Game 2 as Tampa Bay bounced back with a 3-1 win, but was still hitting just .167 heading into Game 3. The triple pushed his series average to .200 — modest on paper, but the context of that one swing is what Yellow Jacket fans will remember.

A product of Georgia Tech's program, Simpson has carved out a role in Tampa Bay's outfield with his speed and athleticism — tools the Rays have long prized. Converting those tools into clutch postseason production is a different ask, and Game 3 showed he's capable of rising to it.

No other active Georgia Tech alumni appear in postseason action this period. Logan McGuire, on the Guardians' pitching staff, is on the opposite side of this series, though no notable stat lines from the right-hander surfaced in the Game 3 box score. The rest of the Yellow Jackets' sizable MLB footprint — Joey Bart, Kristian Campbell, Brant Hurter, Kevin Parada and others — are watching October baseball from home after their clubs fell short of the postseason.

For now, the Georgia Tech story in this postseason belongs entirely to Simpson. One swing, one gap, one very loud response to anyone who said he shouldn't be playing.

Chandler Simpson isn't just along for the ride in Tampa Bay's playoff run — the Georgia Tech alum is embodying exactly the kind of baseball that got the Rays there.

Simpson, who plays left field for Tampa Bay, contributed a hit, an RBI, and a run scored in the Rays' Game 2 victory over the New York Yankees (5-2) on Tuesday, October 6. It's the kind of line that won't dazzle in a box score, but in the context of the Rays' small-ball identity, it's precisely the point.

After the win, Simpson spoke openly about what drives Tampa Bay's approach. "It follows suit to what we represent," he told Sportsnet, crediting the home crowd for helping the Rays secure their first two wins of the series. The comments weren't just postgame pleasantries — they captured something genuine about how this team operates and how Simpson fits within it.

The Rays have long been the sport's preeminent laboratory for doing more with less, building around contact, speed, and situational execution rather than power. Simpson is a natural extension of that philosophy. At Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets have similarly leaned on a patient, process-driven offensive approach, and Simpson appears to have carried that DNA straight into October baseball.

His batting average sits at .125 through the early rounds of the postseason — not a number to celebrate — but the Rays' small-ball system isn't built on individual batting averages. It's built on players who move runners, put the ball in play, and create pressure. Simpson's Game 2 contributions checked all of those boxes.

For Georgia Tech fans tracking alumni across the majors, Simpson's moment is the most prominent of the week. The Rays' roster also includes fellow Yellow Jacket Justyn-Henry Malloy (RF), giving Atlanta's Institute a modest but notable two-man presence on a team now playing meaningful October baseball.

Elsewhere in the alumni landscape, the broader Georgia Tech contingent is scattered across the league — from Buck Farmer, Jonathan Hughes, and Tristin English in Atlanta, to Brant Hurter and Andrew Jenkins in Detroit, to Kevin Parada and Xzavion Curry in New York with the Mets. But none are currently on a stage as bright as the one Simpson is sharing with the Rays right now.

The series continues, and Simpson will look to build on his Game 2 showing. If the Rays advance, it'll be in no small part because players like him bought into a system that rewards the unglamorous — and executed it when it mattered most. For a program like Georgia Tech, that's something worth watching closely.