The Long Island Ducks have announced two more members to be a part of their 25th Anniversary Team. Former pitcher Bill Simas has been chosen as the 12th member of the team and former outfielder Justin Davies has been chosen as the 13th member.
Simas spent parts of three seasons with the Ducks, and was part of the team for their 2004 Atlantic League championship run. Simas then returned to the Flock in 2009 and 2010. Simas was the definition of a franchise closer and still holds the Ducks record with 48 saves. He also appeared in 133 games, making him a mainstay and a fan favorite and his appearance rank seventh in team history. He ended with a 2.59 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 142.2 innings pitched.
When he was on the mound he set the standard for closers in the Atlantic League. He led the league in saves during the 2004 and 2009 seasons, and in 2009 he tied for the fourth-most saves in a single Ducks season.
Simas is a six-year MLB veteran with the Chicago White Sox. He was selected to play in the 2009 Atlantic League All-Star Game and after his playing career he stayed with the Flock as the Ducks pitching coach.
Davies knows Long Island well as the West Babylon native was playing in his backyard with the Ducks. He was a member of the original Ducks team in 2000 and spent six seasons with the club. During that time, he set franchise records that still stand today, with 348 walks and 149 stolen bases. He also ranks third in team history in runs scored and triples while sitting fourth in hits and games played. His totals for runs, hits and games played stood as franchise records until broken by Ray Navarrete.
He not only led the Ducks to their first Atlantic League title in 2004, but he was named Championship Series MVP. Davies had the ultimate honor on June 19, 2015, Davies’ #4 jersey became the first jersey number ever to be retired by the Ducks organization.