Thumb injury was the best thing to happen to Andrelton Simmons

The making of a most-valuable-player candidate, the process that transformed Andrelton Simmons from light-hitting defensive whiz to one of baseball's best all-around players, did not begin with a prodigious home run or a flurry of drives to the gaps.

It began in the video room, with Simmons' left thumb in a splint, a torn ligament sidelining the Angels shortstop for five weeks in the first half of 2016 and opening his eyes to a different offensive approach.

"Once I had that time, I tried to be useful with it, to really analyze some stuff," Simmons said. "I couldn't do much