Randall Simon

Infobox MLB retired
name=Randall Simon
position=First baseman
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1975|5|25
Willemstad, Curaçao
debutdate=September 1
debutyear=by|1997
debutteam=Atlanta Braves
finaldate=September 30
finalyear=by|2006
finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.283
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=49
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=237
teams=
* Atlanta Braves (by|1997-by|1999)
* Detroit Tigers (by|2001-by|2002)
* Pittsburgh Pirates (by|2003)
* Chicago Cubs (by|2003)
* Pittsburgh Pirates (by|2004)
* Tampa Bay Devil Rays (by|2004)
* Philadelphia Phillies (by|2006)

Randall Carlito Simon (born May 25, 1975 in Willemstad, Curaçao) is a first baseman who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies and currently plays for the Newark Bears. Simon's debut season came with the Atlanta Braves in 1997, for whom he played until 1999. While with the Braves, Randall was the subject of teammate John Rocker's infamous "fat monkey" comment in a January 2000 interview with "Sports Illustrated". He also played for the Detroit Tigers (2001, 2002), the Pittsburgh Pirates (2003 and 2004), the Chicago Cubs (2003), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004, and the Orix Buffaloes (2005).

Baseball career

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. When Pittsburgh Pirates spring training started in March 2004, Simon reported to camp out of shape. After several frustrating months into his second tenure with the Pirates, he was once again released on August 18, 2004. After he was released, 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." Staying true to his word, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006.

One day after his release from the Pirates, he was acquired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but still struggled at the major league level, even with a change of scenery. After less than a month with Tampa Bay, he was released once again, 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 up 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 Randall 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.

Simon is currently a member of the Newark Bears.

ausage race incident

Simon gained a degree of infamy for an incident occurring at Miller Park on July 9th, 2003. During the Milwaukee Brewers' "Sausage Race," in which four contestants wearing sausage costumes have a footrace on the field, Simon leaned over the dugout railing and smacked college student Mandy Block (in the Italian sausage costume) with a bat, causing her to fall into the path of another racer. Block suffered only a scraped knee. Simon was arrested, charged, and fined $432.10 for disorderly conduct. He was later suspended by Major League Baseball, and issued an apology to Block.

External links

*baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=s/simonra01 |fangraphs=497 |cube=S/randall-simon