35 Reasons to Believe

The Phanatic Magazine kicked off its 35 straight days of Phillies on Sunday, one article per day detailing each member battling for position as the season begins. Also, look for Michael Rushton's season outlook, which will cap the offseason look at the Phillies on Opening Day -- April 2nd against Atlanta.

DAY 4: RANDALL SIMON

By John McMullen

It's never a good thing when your off the field headlines trump your on-field accomplishments. But, that might sum up 31-year old Randall Simon's major league career to date.

The burly left-handed hitting first baseman is best known for being on the business end of one of then-teammate John Rocker's incredibly racist comments in a 2000 Sports Illustrated interview and for screwing up a Milwaukee Brewers' sausage race during the 2003 season.

That said, in an eight-year big league career, with stops in Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, Simon has been a steady professional hitter with a career .283 batting average. He peaked in 2002 and was a feared member of the Tigers, bashing 19 home runs and driving in 82 runs with a .301 average.

Simon then split the 2003 season between the Pirates and the Cubs, hitting .276 with 16 long balls and 72 RBI. Pittsburgh thought highly enough of the Curacao native to sign him to a free agent deal before the 2004 season with the intention of starting him at first base.

But, Simon reported to spring training out of shape and things went steadily downhill. He was released in August of that year after batting just .194. Since then, Simon has bounced around the baseball world with stints in Japan and Mexico.

He tore things up South of the Border and was good enough for Netherlands in the 2006 World Baseball Classic to earn another chance. The Texas Rangers signed Simon to a minor league deal last year and he lit up the hitting-heavy Pacific Coast League before the Phillies acquired him in exchange for cash considerations on September 1. He went 5-for-21 in his cup of coffee with the team last season and now will look to provide a solid left-handed bat off the bench in 2007.

Simon’s inability to play the outfield will hurt his roster chances, however, and right now the Phillies seem enamored with Karim Garcia as a left-handed bat off the bench. Only a very hot-hitting spring or a couple of injuries would put Simon in a position to garner an Opening Day roster spot.

Tomorrow: Joe Bisenius