Wayne Kirby Simpson (December 2, 1948), is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1970–75 and in 1977. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, and California Angels. Hank Aaron got his 3,000th career hit off Simpson.\n', '

In 1967, as a high school senior at Centennial High School in Compton, CA, Simpson was drafted in the first round in the June MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds with the 8th overall pick. Simpson at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, was a big, hard thrower, but his minor league seasons were plagued by wildness. In three minor league seasons, Simpson had 298 walks, 66 wild pitches, and hit 26 batters in just 432 total innings pitched.\n', '

In the spring of 1970, the Reds tinkered with Simpson\'s delivery, which helped reign in some wildness. Simpson also had the luxury of working with Gold Glove winning catcher Johnny Bench. Simpson not only made the team as a 21 year old rookie in 1970, he was a revelation. After going 7–13 in 1969 for the Reds\' Triple A farm team in Indianapolis, Simpson was almost unbeatable for the Reds. He began the year by winning 13 of his first 14 decisions (the loss came when a dropped pop fly allowed two unearned runs), including tossing a one-hitter, a two-hitter, and a three-hitter, in helping the Reds to a 70–30 start. Simpson was the only rookie pitcher selected for the 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, though he didn\'t pitch due to elbow pain.\n', '

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