Quintin Berry is wearing a sign to tell people he is NOT Andrelton Simmons
Quintin Berry would like to clear one thing up: He is notAndrelton Simmons.
In his first few days at Angels camp, the speedy outfielder estimates that he has been confused for the slick-fielding shortstop in "at least 20 different instances." He was asked by one of the coaches if he'd like to take some infield, has been called "Simmons" by several of his new teammates -- Berry won't mention them by name -- and was mixed up by countless fans.
So, on Thursday morning, Berry took it upon himself to resolve the issue. He unrolled two thick strips of athletic tape, took a black permanent marker and wrote the words: "I'm Not Simmons." Then he stuck it on his batting-practice top, displaying it prominently near his stomach as he went through workouts at the Angels' Spring Training complex.
"I want people to remember me, not think that I was Simmons the whole time," Berry said. "I tried to make sure I did that before it was too late."
Berry has also thought about trying to play it off to see how long he could fool people, just for laughs.
Even he notices the resemblance.
"We're both light-skinned, got a long face and a long neck," Berry said. "It's the neck. I think we have the same neck."
Here's a split photo of the two from last year:
Berry -- famously successful in his first 21 Major League stolen-base attempts in 2012 (and famously successful for not being able to grow a beard) -- joined the Angels with the insecurity of a Minor League contract.
After suiting up for the Tigers, Cubs, Orioles and Red Sox, the San Diego product finally has a chance to play in Southern California. He called the Angels "one of the teams I've always wanted to play for" and badly wants to break camp on their Opening Day roster.
But first he has to make sure they actually know who he is.
"I think we're good in the clubhouse now," Berry said. "We're definitely not good on the field, because the fans still think I'm Simmons."