MILWAUKEE — Columbia baseball alumnus Josh Simpson '19CC was called up to join the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.

Simpson would be the first Lion to appear in an MLB game since Fernando Perez '01CC did with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009. He was selected by the Marlins in the 32nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft. The Marlins are in the midst of a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

"He's been really good, his curveball especially," Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Tuesday upon Simpson's callup. "He's got a real curveball. Obviously he could throw 94-95 miles an hour too and he's not just like a one pitch pitcher. He can throw multiple innings, so he's not just a one inning type of guy."

Simpson is Miami's No. 28-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The Stafford, Connecticut native was added to Miami's 40-man roster in November and was with the team in spring training before being sent to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp of the International League.

Simpson has appeared in 110 Minor League games over the past four seasons. He owns a lifetime ERA of 4.40 and has 262 strikeouts in games with Single- A, Double-A, and Triple-A.  

At Columbia, Simpson pitched in 29 games and made 28 starts over three seasons from 2016-19. He logged 160.2 innings of work on the mound and recorded 127 strikeouts for the Lions. In 2019, Simpson was named Second Team All-Ivy League following a 3.06 ERA and a .231 opponent batting average.

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