| Ted Simmons | |
|---|---|
 Simmons with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1978 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: August 9, 1949 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 |
| 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) is an American former professional baseball player and coach.[1] A switch-hitter, Simmons was a catcher for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1968–1980), the Milwaukee Brewers (1981–1985) and the Atlanta Braves (1986–1988).[1] Although he was often overshadowed by his contemporary, Johnny Bench, Simmons is considered one of the best hitting catchers in MLB history.[2] While his power numbers paled in comparison to Bench, Simmons still managed to hit for a higher batting 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 the Baseball Hall of Fame in December 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]
- ^ a b "Ted Simmons". Baseball Reference. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
- ^ How Ted Simmons Rates With Hall of Fame Catchers. Baseball Digest. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ Murray, Jim (October 1977). "Ted Simmons: The National League's Other Catcher". Baseball Digest. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
- ^ "Simmons misses on Hall election by one vote". MLB.com. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ "Forgotten star Ted Simmons is Hall-of-Fame worthy". Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ "Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons Elected to Hall Of Fame". baseballhall.org. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ @Cardinals (July 15, 2021). "No other Cardinal will wear 23. On July 31, we will honor Ted Simmons by retiring his number and unveiling a new…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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