NL Scout: Andrelton Simmons 'Quit' on the Angels, 'That Has to Be Addressed'

Andrelton Simmons is regarded as one of the best defensive shortstops in Major League Baseball when healthy, but there appear to be significant concerns about his viability moving forward. 

Per Matt Gelb and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, at least one scout for a National League team thinks Simmons "quit" on the Los Angeles Angels last season. 

“That has to be addressed," the scout added. 

The scout was referring to Simmons' decision to opt out of the final five games of the 2020 season, even though the Angels hadn't officially been eliminated from playoff contention. 

ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reported at the time that Simmons was concerned "about COVID-19 and how it might impact more vulnerable members of his family, particularly with American League teams that are still not mathematically eliminated required to quarantine for potential postseason games beginning Tuesday."

Simmons, who is a free agent after spending the last five years with the Angels, suffered a sprained ankle in the first week of the regular season that caused him to miss 22 games. He returned on Aug. 21 and went on to have a solid season with the bat, posting a .297/.346/.356 slash line in 30 games. 

Injuries have been a problem for Simmons over the past two seasons. He missed 59 games in 2019, including five weeks from May 21 to June 26 with a grade 3 ankle sprain.

When Simmons has been healthy, he's been one of the most valuable defensive players in MLB. The 31-year-old has won four Gold Glove awards and has 191 defensive runs saved since 2012, 71 more than any other player over that span.