Ted Simmons
| Birthdate | 08/09/1949 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1968 |
| Year of Induction | 2020 |
| Teams | Braves, Brewers, Cardinals |
| Positions | Catcher, Designated Hitter |
When Ted Simmons retired, he held the MLB career marks for catchers with 2,472 hits and 483 doubles. Ivan Rodriguez broke both records.
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Ted Simmons' 45 WAR with St. Louis is the highest among catchers in Cardinals history
Ted Simmons' 45 WAR with St. Louis is the highest among catchers in Cardinals history
Ted Simmons was 17 years old when the Cardinals selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 1967 draft. The fresh-faced high schooler played in the minor leagues right after his graduation. After cups of coffee in the big leagues in both ’68 and ’69, Simmons was in the majors to stay by the end of May in 1970.
Simmons’ breakout year came in 1971 when he hit .304 and received votes in MVP balloting. From ’71 through ’80 the switch-hitter made six All Star teams and received MVP votes in five seasons. The decade of production featured a .301 average and a 131 OPS+. Simmons averaged more than 32 doubles, 16 homers and 90 RBI per season.
Simmons’ 45.0 WAR with St. Louis is the highest ever among Cardinal catchers.
Shown here is a a contract for Simmons’ autograph to appear on stamped autographed souvenir baseballs. Under the terms of the deal, the Hall of Fame backstop received one cent per ball sold.
After 13 years in St. Louis, Simmons was traded to the Brewers in December in 1980
After 13 years in St. Louis, Simmons was traded to the Brewers in December in 1980
On December 2, 1980 the Milwaukee Brewers acquired Ted Simmons in a seven-player trade. The trade paid immediate dividends for the team as Simmons helped them reach the post season for the first time in franchise history.
The next season Simmons and the Brewers were even better. The catcher followed up his All Star campaign of ’81 with 23 homers and 97 RBI to help lift the Brew Crew to their first American League pennant. Simmons continued to hit in ’83 when he hit .308 with 108 RBI in what proved to be his final All Star appearance.
Simmons’ production faded after ’83. In his last five seasons in the bigs – two with the Brewers and three with the Braves – Simmons hit .248 with a .312 on-base percentage and a negative WAR.
In total Simmons played in 21 major league seasons. Remarkably consistent, switch-hitting Simmons hit .287 with a .350 on-base percentage as a lefty and .281 with a .345 on-base percentage as a righty.
The Cooperstown man hit .300 or better in seven seasons, highlighted by his .332 mark in 1975. Simmons drove in 90 or more runs eight times, topping the century mark in three of those seasons.
At the time of his retirement no catcher had ever recorded as many hits or doubles as Simmons. As of 2026 his 1,389 RBI ranks second among catchers and his 248 homers have him 14th. Simmons may have been overshadowed by Johnny Bench’s play and Gary Carter’s personality but the numbers are there.
After earning just 3.7% of the vote in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot, Simmons was removed from the writers’ ballot. In December, 2019 the Veterans Committee recognized his greatness, voting him to Cooperstown. He is the first one-and-done on the writers’ ballot to earn a plaque.
Shown here is a 1983 Topps Super Veteran baseball card autographed by Simmons.
As his career neared its end, Simmons climbed the all-time leaderboards
As his career neared its end, Simmons climbed the all-time leaderboards
A productive hitter with a 21-year big league career, Ted Simmons’ name can be found littered throughout the record books. Late in his career he caught and passed some of the greatest players in the history of the game.
On August 26, 1985 Simmons slugged a two-run homer off of Indians pitcher Neal Heaton. The two RBIs brought his career total to 1,305 to pass Hall of Fame outfielder Enos Slaughter on the all-time list and match the great Roberto Clemente.
Shown here is the lineup card from that game. Filled out and signed at the bottom by Brewers manager George Bamberger, this card spent the game in the pocket of umpire Don Denkinger. The lineup featured Hall of Famer Robin Yount batting second and Simmons batting cleanup.
Simmons retired three years later in 1988. His 1,389 career runs batted in ranked 44th at the time of his retirement. Among the Hall of Fame hitters behind him on the list are fellow catchers Johnny Bench, Ivan Rodriguez, and Mike Piazza.
Notice Cecil Cooper’s signature at the top left of the card.
After retiring as a player, Simmons spent parts of four decades in the front office
After retiring as a player, Simmons spent parts of four decades in the front office
Ted Simmons retired after the 1988 season. The following season he returned to St. Louis as the Cardinals director of player personnel. During most of the next three decades, Simmons served in various front-office capacities throughout the game.
In 1992 he was named Vice President and General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Simmons biggest deal was one he didn’t make. In Spring Training 1992 Simmons agreed to trade superstar Barry Bonds to the Braves. The deal was thwarted when Pittsburgh skipper Jim Leyland threatened to quit if the deal was consummated.
In the collection is this letter signed by Simmons early in his tenure with the Pirates. Dated March 31, 1992, the letter was written shortly after Leyland nixed the deal that would’ve sent the best player in the game to Atlanta.
After his time in Pittsburgh, Simmons served in the front offices of the Indians, Padres, Brewers, and Mariners.
Simba is one the most underrated catchers in the game, in my opinion. Easily the most prolific switch hitting backstop in the game’s history and second all times in career hits as a catcher, only behind Pudge Rodriguez. Very glad to see him get inducted a few years back. It was overdue.
Same feeling here. I think Simmons knew during his playing career he was very over shadowed by a few other contemporaries, such as Bench, Fisk, Carter, to name a few at the same position. Not sure why it took so long for the vote to turn in his favor but glad it finally did because as a player he should be in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, let alone the Cardinals Hall.