Simba is officially headed back to Pride Rock.
Veteran MLB shortstop Andrelton Simmons announced this week that he is retiring, per Los Angeles Angels writer Jared Tims of TalkinHalos. Simmons hangs up his cleats at 34 years old and after 11 MLB seasons.
One of the best and smartest defenders of his generation, Simmons was a four-time Gold Glove Award winner. He won two with the Atlanta Braves (whom he began his MLB career with) in 2013 and 2014 and another two with the Angels in 2017 and 2018 after being traded there. Simmons played his final two MLB seasons with the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago Cubs before being drafted earlier this year by the Mumbai Cobras of the fledgling Baseball United league.
The righty hitter Simmons finishes his career as a .263 batter over 1,225 total MLB games. Once an eight-place finisher in AL MVP voting, Simmons lost his effectiveness as he got older due to various ankle and shoulder injuries. But at least his career highlight reel will live on forever.
