Randall Simon
Encyclopedia
Randall Carlito Simon is a professional baseball
first baseman
. He has played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball
and one in Nippon Professional Baseball between 1997 and 2006. Simon's debut season came with the Atlanta Braves
in 1997, for whom he played until 1999. He also played for the Detroit Tigers
(2001–2002), Pittsburgh Pirates
(2003, 2004), Chicago Cubs
(2003), Tampa Bay Devil Rays
(2004), the NPB's Orix Buffaloes
(2005), and Philadelphia Phillies
(2006). He played in the Northern League for the Rockford RiverHawks
and Gary SouthShore RailCats
in 2010, and is currently a free agent.
, Curaçao
. Before signing with the Pirates, Simon signed with the Florida Marlins
and New York Yankees
in the 2000 season, but did not play in the majors for either franchise. In 2003, Simon was traded by Pittsburgh to the Chicago Cubs, where he had a productive postseason, helping the Cubs to the 2003 National League Championship Series
. After the season, Simon was released by Chicago.
On February 19, 2004, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Simon as a free agent
to secure the team at first base for the upcoming season. After several months into his second tenure with the Pirates, he was released on August 18, 2004. Simon said, "I'm a fighter," Simon said. "I promise you're going to see me again. You don't have to worry about that."
One day after his release from the Pirates, he was acquired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After less than a month with Tampa Bay he was released and signed with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese Pacific League
.
Simon spent 2005 and part of 2006 with Potros de Tijuana
of the Mexican League before moving on to the Arizona League
AZL Rangers
and the Oklahoma RedHawks
of the Pacific Coast League
. Simon hit
.363 for Tijuana in 2005 and .348 in 2006 before joining the RedHawks, boosting his stock. On September 1, 2006, the Phillies acquired Simon in a trade with the Texas Rangers
in exchange for cash considerations, calling him up to the majors when rosters expanded the same day.
In 2008, Simon played for the independent Newark Bears
of the Atlantic League
.
In 2009, Simon played in the World Baseball Classic
on the team representing the Netherlands.
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
of the Northern League signed Simon to a contract for the 2009 season.
Simon played for the Truenos de Tijuana of the Northern Mexican League (Liga Norte de Mexico) in the 2011 season, which ended on July 17, 2011.
' "Sausage Race
," in which four contestants wearing sausage costumes have a footrace on the field, Simon leaned over the dugout railing and hit college student Mandy Block (in the Italian sausage costume) with a bat, causing her to fall into the path of another racer. It should be noted that his bat struck only the top padded part of the costume, well above her head position, causing her to lose her balance. Block suffered only a scraped knee. Simon was questioned by police and later fined $432.10 for disorderly conduct. MLB suspended him for 3 games. He issued an apology - and an autographed bat - to Block. In addition, later that year, Mandy Block received a complimentary trip to Curacao(Simon's home island) for two persons from the Curaçao Tourism Board.
When he returned to Miller Park later that year as a member of the Chicago Cubs
, he purchased Italian Sausages for an entire section, and during the race, his teammates playfully held him back until all the sausages passed the dugout
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
. He has played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and one in Nippon Professional Baseball between 1997 and 2006. Simon's debut season came with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in 1997, for whom he played until 1999. He also played for the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(2001–2002), Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(2003, 2004), Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(2003), Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
(2004), the NPB's Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
(2005), and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(2006). He played in the Northern League for the Rockford RiverHawks
Rockford RiverHawks
The Rockford RiverHawks are a professional baseball team based in the Rockford, Illinois suburb of Loves Park, in the United States. Currently, the RiverHawks are a member of the Frontier League, which they previously played in from 2002 until 2009. From the 2002 season to 2005, the RiverHawks'...
and Gary SouthShore RailCats
Gary SouthShore RailCats
The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a professional baseball team based in Gary, Indiana, in the United States. The RailCats are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The RailCats have played their home games at...
in 2010, and is currently a free agent.
Life and baseball career
Simon was born in WillemstadWillemstad, Netherlands Antilles
Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, it has an estimated population of 140,000. The historic centre of...
, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. Before signing with the Pirates, Simon signed with the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the 2000 season, but did not play in the majors for either franchise. In 2003, Simon was traded by Pittsburgh to the Chicago Cubs, where he had a productive postseason, helping the Cubs to the 2003 National League Championship Series
2003 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 7, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IllinoisThe Marlins took Game 1 of the series, coming back from an early 4–0 deficit. They scored five runs in the third on three home runs from Juan Encarnacion, rookie Miguel Cabrera, and Ivan "Pudge" Rodríguez. In the sixth inning,...
. After the season, Simon was released by Chicago.
On February 19, 2004, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Simon as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
to secure the team at first base for the upcoming season. After several months into his second tenure with the Pirates, he was released on August 18, 2004. Simon said, "I'm a fighter," Simon said. "I promise you're going to see me again. You don't have to worry about that."
One day after his release from the Pirates, he was acquired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After less than a month with Tampa Bay he was released and signed with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
.
Simon spent 2005 and part of 2006 with Potros de Tijuana
Potros de Tijuana
Los Potros de Tijuana were a AAA-level baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California that played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol...
of the Mexican League before moving on to the Arizona League
Arizona League
The Arizona League is a minor league baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona. It is a rookie-level professional baseball league run by Major League Baseball since 1989. Games are played at the spring training complexes of the team's parent organizations from mid-June until the...
AZL Rangers
Surprise Rangers
The Arizona League Rangers are a rookie-level minor league baseball team in Surprise, Arizona.They joined the Arizona League in 2003 after the completion of Surprise Stadium...
and the Oklahoma RedHawks
Oklahoma RedHawks
The Oklahoma City RedHawks are a minor league baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
. Simon hit
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.363 for Tijuana in 2005 and .348 in 2006 before joining the RedHawks, boosting his stock. On September 1, 2006, the Phillies acquired Simon in a trade with the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
in exchange for cash considerations, calling him up to the majors when rosters expanded the same day.
In 2008, Simon played for the independent Newark Bears
Newark Bears
The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...
of the Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
.
In 2009, Simon played in the World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
on the team representing the Netherlands.
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the Northern League signed Simon to a contract for the 2009 season.
Simon played for the Truenos de Tijuana of the Northern Mexican League (Liga Norte de Mexico) in the 2011 season, which ended on July 17, 2011.
Sausage race incident
On July 9, 2003, during the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
' "Sausage Race
Sausage Race
The Sausage Race is a race of sausage mascots held before the bottom of the sixth inning at every home game of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Sausage Race is a promotion for the Klement's Sausage Company, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose sausages are served at Miller Park, the home of the Brewers...
," in which four contestants wearing sausage costumes have a footrace on the field, Simon leaned over the dugout railing and hit college student Mandy Block (in the Italian sausage costume) with a bat, causing her to fall into the path of another racer. It should be noted that his bat struck only the top padded part of the costume, well above her head position, causing her to lose her balance. Block suffered only a scraped knee. Simon was questioned by police and later fined $432.10 for disorderly conduct. MLB suspended him for 3 games. He issued an apology - and an autographed bat - to Block. In addition, later that year, Mandy Block received a complimentary trip to Curacao(Simon's home island) for two persons from the Curaçao Tourism Board.
When he returned to Miller Park later that year as a member of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, he purchased Italian Sausages for an entire section, and during the race, his teammates playfully held him back until all the sausages passed the dugout
Citations
- 1. ESPN "Sausagegate"
- 2. ESPN: Your Turn "Sports Arrests"