| Ted Simmons | |
|---|---|
 Simmons with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1978 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1949-08-09)August 9, 1949 (age 76) Highland Park, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 21, 1968, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 2, 1988, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .285 |
| Hits | 2,472 |
| Home runs | 248 |
| Runs batted in | 1,389 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2020 |
| Vote | 81.3% |
| Election method | Modern Baseball Era Committee |
Ted Lyle Simmons (born August 9, 1949), nicknamed "Simba", is an American former professionalbaseball player andcoach.[1] Aswitch-hitter, Simmons was acatcher for most of hisMajor League Baseball (MLB) career with theSt. Louis Cardinals (1968–1980), theMilwaukee Brewers (1981–1985) and theAtlanta Braves (1986–1988).[1] Although he was often overshadowed by his contemporary,Johnny Bench, Simmons is considered one of the besthitting catchers in MLB history.[2] While his power numbers paled in comparison to Bench, Simmons still managed to hit for a higherbatting average despite playing home games in a notoriously tough hitter's park.[3]
At the time of his retirement, Simmons led all catchers in career hits and doubles and ranked second in RBIs behind Yogi Berra and second in total bases behind Carlton Fisk. He also retired with the National League record for home runs by a switch-hitter despite playing several years in the American League. Simmons hit .300 seven different times, hit 20 home runs six times, and caught 122 shutouts, eighth-most all-time.[4][5] He was elected into theBaseball Hall of Fame inDecember 2019, and was formally enshrined in 2021.[6] On July 31, 2021, he was honored by the Cardinals with the retirement of his jersey number (23) along with a statue.[7]
Simmons attendedSouthfield High School inSouthfield, Michigan, a suburb northwest ofDetroit, and graduated in 1967. TheSt. Louis Cardinals selected Simmons in the first round, with the tenth overall selection, of the1967 Major League Baseball draft. He received a $50,000signing bonus from St. Louis to bypass his commitment to theUniversity of Michigan. He made his professional debut in theGulf Coast League, where hebatted 7-for-20 (.350), before the Cardinals promoted him to theCedar Rapids Cardinals of theClass AMidwest League. In 1968, he played for theModesto Reds of the Class ACalifornia League, where he batted .331, with 28home runs and 117runs batted in (RBIs) in 136games played.[8]
Simmons made his major league debut with the Cardinals at the age of 18, appearing in two games during the1968pennant-winning season.[1] Simmons spent another year inTriple-A with theTulsa Oilers before returning to the major leagues in1970 where heplatooned withJoe Torre.[9] In1971, the Cardinals converted Torre into athird baseman and Simmons took over as their starting catcher, posting a .304 batting average with seven home runs and 77 RBIs.[1][10] He finished 16th in balloting for the 1971National LeagueMost Valuable Player Award as the Cardinals finished in second place behind thePittsburgh Pirates in theNational League Eastern Division.[11][12]
Simmons refused to sign a contract for the amount of salary offered by the Cardinals in1972, electing to play without a contract.[13] He ultimately signed a contract well into the season during which he was recognized as one of the top catchers in the league by earning a spot as a reserve on the 1972National League All-Star team.[14] He finished the year with a .303 batting average with 16 home runs and 96 RBIs, breakingWalker Cooper's team record for RBIs by a catcher and set the team record for home runs by a catcher, previously held jointly byGene Oliver andTim McCarver.[1][13] His defense began to improve as well, posting a .991fielding percentage and leading National League catchers inassists and inputouts.[15] Despite the Cardinals finishing the season in fourth place, Simmons would finish in 10th place in the National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting.[16][17] Simmons continued to produce offensively in1973 with a .310 batting average, along with 13 home runs and 91 RBIs.[1] He also led the league's catchers in putouts and finished second in assists, earning his second All-Star berth as the Cardinals again finished the season in second place.[18][19]
In1975, Simmons hit 18 home runs along with 100 RBIs and posted a career-high .332 batting average, finishing second in the National Leaguebatting championship behindBill Madlock.[1][20] He also set a National League single-season record for mosthits by a catcher with 188.[1][3] He finished in 6th place in the National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting as the Cardinals ended the season in fourth place.[21][22] Simmons was the starting catcher for the National League in the 1978All-Star Game when he replaced injured elected starter Johnny Bench.[23] Simmons led the Cardinals inRBIs every year from 1972 until 1978.[24] In 1979, Simmons hit a career-high 26 home runs, setting the record for most home runs in a season by a Cardinals catcher. He was elected to be the starting catcher for the National League All-Star team, but he was unable to play due to a broken wrist, and was replaced in the starting lineup byBob Boone of the Phillies. He had another strong year in1980, hitting .303 with 21 home runs and 98 RBIs to win the inauguralSilver Slugger Award which is awarded annually to the bestoffensive player at eachposition.[1][25]
By the late-1970s, Simmons was throwing out less than one-third of potential basestealers.[26] During the1980 season, CardinalsmanagerWhitey Herzog wanted Simmons moved tofirst base andKeith Hernandez toleft field for the first six innings, with the latter often reverting to his original position at the end of games.[27] Simmons' refusal and the ensuing feud with Herzog led to him being traded along withRollie Fingers andPete Vuckovich to theMilwaukee Brewers forSixto Lezcano,Lary Sorensen,Dave LaPoint andDavid Green at the 1980 Winter Meetings onDecember 12.[26][28] His batting average fell to .216 in his first season in theAmerican League but, he rebounded in1982 with a .269 batting average with 23 home runs and 97 RBIs and led American League catchers with a .995 fielding percentage in 121 games.[1][29] The Brewers clinched theAmerican League Eastern Division title, then defeated theCalifornia Angels in the1982 American League Championship Series.[30] Simmons met his old team, theSt. Louis Cardinals in the1982 World Series, hitting two home runs before the Brewers lost in a seven-game series.[31] Simmons had one more good year in1983 when he hit for a .308 batting average with 13 home runs and 108 RBIs and earned his eighth and final All-Star berth.[1][32] His batting average fell to .221 in1984, although Simmons rebounded in 1985 with a .273 average and 76 RBIs, and in March1986 he was traded to the Atlanta Braves.[1][33] He spent three seasons with the Braves as autility player andpinch hitter before retiring as a player in1988 at the age of 38.[1] From an equipment standpoint, Simmons used a Rawlings brand catcher's mitt[34] and Adirondack bats.[35]
In a 21-year major league career, Simmons played in 2,456games, accumulating 2,472hits in 8,680at bats for a .285 career batting average along with 248 home runs, 1,389runs batted in and a .348on-base percentage.[1] He ended his career with a .986 fielding percentage.[1] An eight-time All-Star, he batted above .300 seven times, reached 20 home runs six times, and eight times exceeded 90 runs batted in. He switch-hit home runs in a game three times and established a since-broken National League career record for home runs by a switch-hitter (182).[36][37] Simmons held major league records for catchers with 2,472 career hits and 483doubles, since broken byIván Rodríguez. He ranks second all-time among catchers with 1,389 runs batted in and 10th with 248 home runs.[36] He caught 122shutouts in his career, ranking him eighth all-time among major league catchers.[38] In his book,The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, baseball historianBill James ranked Simmons 10th all-time among major league catchers.[39]
In 1992, Simmons was hired asgeneral manager of thePittsburgh Pirates. He served in that position for only a year, retiring after suffering aheart attack in June 1993. He also was director of player development for both the Cardinals andSan Diego Padres, and ascout at the Major League level for theCleveland Indians. He was named the bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers starting with the 2008 season.[43] On September 15, 2008, he was reassigned to another position within the organization.[44]
In November 2008 Simmons was named bench coach for the Padres under managerBud Black, replacingCraig Colbert.[45] He was hired on November 5, 2010 as a senior advisor to general managerJack Zduriencik of theSeattle Mariners.[46] Simmons rejoined the Braves in October 2015, as a scout.[47]
Simmons first became eligible for election to theBaseball Hall of Fame in1994, but received less than 5% of the vote on his first ballot, thus becoming ineligible for future election by theBaseball Writers' Association of America. InDecember 2017, he missed being elected to the Hall of Fame via theVeterans Committee by one vote,[48][49] but was elected inDecember 2019 for the Class of 2020. He was formally enshrined on September 8, 2021, as the 2020 ceremony was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.[6]
Media related toTed Simmons at Wikimedia Commons · Baseball Almanac| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
