Hayden Simpson

Hayden Colby Simpson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
• School Southern Arkansas University
• High School Magnolia High School

• Born May 20, 1989

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Hayden Simpson was the first NCAA Division II player drafted in 2010.

A football and baseball star in high school, Simpson was 10-0 as a college freshman, leading the team in wins. His junior year, 2010, he went 13-1 with a 1.81 ERA, with 131 K in 99 1/3 innings. He was a Division II All-American and runner-up for the Tino Martinez NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. Overall, he had gone 35-2 with a 2.39 ERA in college with a school-record 323 whiffs.

The Chicago Cubs took Simpson 16th overall in the 2010 amateur draft, a very high selection for a player from Division II. He was signed by scout Jim Crawford for a reported $1.06 million and made his pro debut the next summer.

Simpson spent only two seasons in the Cubs' chain pitching a total of 161⅓ innings. He then pitched 7⅓ innings in the independent Frontier League in 2013.

Simpson's repertoire includes a four-seam fastball (peak speed of 97 mph), a circle change, slider and a 12-6 curveball.

Primary Source: MLB.com article on Simpson's drafting