Doug Simons, As Excited - 19

Originally published April 23, 2011

Doug Simons was never an emotional player. So, in April 1991, after getting his first major league win, the rookie looked as if he didn't realize he'd reached that milestone, according to the Thomson News Service.

"I knew," Simons confirmed to the news service after the win. "If you know me, this is about as excited as I get. I'm throwing a party in my mind."

For Simons, however, the such parties were already half over. That win in April, and one more that June, amounted to the only two wins of Simons' major league career.

Simons pitched in 42 major league games for the Mets that year, mostly as a reliever. He got into seven more the next, with the Expos, and his big league career was done.

Simons' professional career started in 1988, selected by the Twins in the ninth round out of Pepperdine. He started that year at single-A Visalia, going 6-5, with a 3.94 ERA.

He split 1989 between Visalia and AA Orlando, going 13-5 between them, with a 2.63 ERA.

At Orlando, Simons discussed a possible disadvantage for him on the mound, his size. Simons was 5 feet, 11 inches and 160 pounds, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

''I'm not concerned with that the size issue," Simons told The Sentinel. "If I pitch my game and keep us close, who's going to care how big I am."

Simons returned to Orlando for 1990, going 15-12, with a 2.54 ERA. He won his 13th in early August, a 7-5 win over Huntsville. ''It was just one of those games where I didn't pitch as well as I would have liked, but my teammates got me some runs to work with early,'' Simons told The Sentinel of that 13th victory.

Taken by the Mets in the Rule 5 draft, Simons spent all of 1991 with the big club. The starter, however, moved to relief. He got into 42 games, only starting one.

In April 1992, the Mets traded Simons to the Expos. He got into seven games for Montreal that year, amounting to 5.1 innings. He gave up 14 earned runs. Eight of those runs came in three April outings, ones that amounted to a third of an inning. The rest came in September.

In August, Simons told The Los Angeles Times, he hoped to get back to the majors, and get back to starting. But maybe not with the Expos.

"I know I'm capable of winning up there, but I think I need to be a starter," Simons told The Times. "I haven't pitched in the big leagues when I really felt like myself. When you pitch a lot, you get everything going."

After 1992, Simons never got back to the majors. He played through 1996, with the Expos, Royals and Astros organizations, ending his playing career.

Simons went on to be a coach in the Mets organization, and a scout with the Rangers. In 2005, Simons became head baseball coach at Covenant College in Georgia, helping revive a dormant program. He remains Covenant head coach for 2011.

"I am excited and honored to be the head baseball coach at Covenant College," Simons told The Chattanooga Chattanoogan after his selection. "It will be a challenge to start a program from scratch, but it will also be very rewarding, and not to mention fun."

• Orlando Sentinel, July 9, 1989: O-Twins' Simons Finds Winning More Important Than His Size
• Orlando Sentinel, Aug. 6, 1990: Simons Wins His 13th As Sunrays Hold On
• Hudson Valley Morning News, Thomson News Service, April 15, 1991: Simmons happy with first win
• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 2, 1992: Simons Finds Little Relief With Expos' Organization
• Chattanooga Chattanoogan, May 6, 2005: Covenant Selects Former Met And Expo As New Baseball Coach