Chandler Simpson vs Parker Messick

The Almanac's Take

Platoon cuts against Simpson here — lefty-on-lefty with no conventional hand edge for the batter. Messick has been genuinely sharp this season: 2.59 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 3.39 K/BB across 125.1 innings, and he generates strikeouts (8.8 K/9) without walking anyone (2.6 BB/9). Simpson makes contact — 9.5% strikeout rate and a .290 average — but his .348 slugging and zero home runs in 378 PA paint him as a slap-and-run profile with little power ceiling against a pitcher this clean. The 11-PA head-to-head (3 hits, 85.7 mph average exit velo) is too thin to move the needle either way.

Career head-to-head

AVG

.273

3-for-11

PA

11

HR

0

K

1

BB

0

Pitches seen

38

Avg exit velo

85.7 mph

Career meetings in the Statcast era (2015–present). Even a clear edge over a handful of plate appearances is a small sample — read it as color, not a projection.

Pitch mix to the batter

Plate-appearance log

• 2026-07-26Single · Slider 87.0 mph · 64.6 mph EV
• 2026-07-26Single · 4-Seam Fastball 94.1 mph · 88.7 mph EV
• 2026-07-26Field Out · Curveball 80.7 mph · 79.2 mph EV
• 2026-04-27Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 94.8 mph · 89.8 mph EV
• 2026-04-27Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 92.4 mph · 89.9 mph EV
• 2025-09-07Strikeout · Changeup 84.5 mph
• 2025-09-07Field Out · Sinker 89.2 mph · 95.7 mph EV
• 2025-09-07Field Out · Sinker 89.5 mph · 83.0 mph EV
• 2025-08-26Force Out · Slider 85.7 mph · 80.6 mph EV
• 2025-08-26Single · Sinker 91.2 mph · 91.4 mph EV
• 2025-08-26Field Out · Sinker 91.5 mph · 93.8 mph EV