Wayne Simpson

Wayne Kirby Simpson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• High School Centennial High School (Compton)
• Debut April 9, 1970
• Final Game September 29, 1977
• Born December 2, 1948 in Los Angeles, CA USA

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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, go to four World Series and win 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.

Simpson was a tall, broad-shouldered athlete who also excelled as a quarterback in high school. He was drafted by the Reds in 1967 out of high school with the 8th overall pick in the amateur draft. By 1970, after harnessing his control in the Puerto Rican Winter League, Simpson reached the majors. His major league debut against his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers on April 9th could not have been much better. Simpson allowed just 2 hits as he faced only one batter above the minimum 27 in hurling a two-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 thereafter. He tore his rotator cuff and because he was extremely competitive, he made two attempts to get back on the mound before his season ended. He finished 1970 with a 14-3 record and a fine 3.02 ERA in an offense-heavy year in baseball. Simpson was unable to pitch in the postseason.

Even though he recovered enough to pitch again, Simpson was never the same pitcher. In an era before pitch counts and reconstructive shoulder surgery, 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 the majors for good. He hung on in the minors and in Mexico through early 1979 before damage to the blood vessels in his pitching arm seriously threatened not only his limb but his life. All three young Red pitchers from that 1970 team, Nolan, Gullett and Simpson, would suffer arm problems throughout their careers and be out of baseball before the end of the decade.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1970)
• NL Winning Percentage Leader (1970)

Related Sites

• Wayne Simpson at the SABR Bio Project