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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Catcher Ted Simmons started his Hall of Fame playing career at age 17
Catcher Ted Simmons started his Hall of Fame playing career at age 17
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 season came in 1971 when he hit .304 and received votes in MVP balloting. The following season he made his first All Star team. From 1972-1983 Simmons made eight All Star teams, and earned a Silver Slugger.
The switch hitter went on to play in 21 big league seasons. Remarkably consistent, Simmons hit .287 with a .350 on-base percentage as a lefty and .281 with a .345 on-base percentage as a righty. He 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 2016 his 1,389 RBI ranks second among catchers and his 248 homers keep him in the top ten. 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. The Veterans Committee recognized his greatness, voting him to Cooperstown in December, 2019. He is the first one-and-done on the writers’ ballot to earn a plaque.
Shown here is a a contract for Simmons’ autograph to appear on stamped autographed souvenir baseballs. The terms of the deal? Simmons earned one cent per ball sold.
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. 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.
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.
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.