Simmons Deserving of Hall of Fame
Former St. Louis, Milwaukee Catcher Belongs in Cooperstown
Mike Piazza will be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame the first year he is on the ballot. So will Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, as soon as he is eligible.
But the next catcher who should roam the Hall is Ted Simmons, who will have to rely on the Veteran’s Committee for election.
Great Catcher for Cardinals and Brewers
Simmons, a switch-hitter who spent 21 seasons in the majors, was a standout in both the National League with the St. Louis Cardinals and later in the AL with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was one of the NL’s most feared hitters in the 1970s but was overshadowed at his position by Johnny Bench and in his division by Willie Stargell and Mike Schmidt.
Simmons’ numbers are definitely worthy, as he ranks in the top 10 among all-time catchers in a number of categories. His 2,472 hits rank second to Rodriguez and his 1,389 RBI are more than any catcher not named Yogi Berra.
Productive Hitter and MVP Candidate
Not a huge home run hitter, the eight-time All-Star still managed 248 homers and his 483 doubles trail only Rodriguez among catchers. Simmons also had a career batting average of .285, hit higher than .300 seven times, and drove in at least 90 runs eight times in his career, ranking in his league’s top 10 in RBI six times. He received MVP votes seven times, including three top 10 finishes.
He was always a major part of the opposition’s gameplan, too, amassing 112 intentional walks from 1975-1980. He led the league in the statistic twice and finished in the top three two other times, because unlike Bench he didn’t have the likes of Tony Perez, Joe Morgan and Pete Rose hitting around him.
Hall of Fame Yet to Acknowledge Accomplishments
So why no Hall of Fame yet for "Simba"? His absence represents one of the Hall of Fame's biggest omissions. Voters have traditionally been stingy with their support for catchers. Only 16 currently reside in the Hall, nearly half of whom were either chosen by the Veteran’s Committee or the Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues.
Simmons will have to count on the Veteran’s Committee, which will make the right decision if it looks at the numbers and the circumstances.
Never blessed with a great pitching staff, Simmons still had a career fielding percentage of .987. He did work with one Hall of Fame starter, but only had the chance to catch Bob Gibson during the last five years of the right-hander’s career. The other top pitchers he worked with were less than Hall-worthy: John Denny, Pete Falcone, Bob Forsch, Pete Vuckovich and Mike Caldwell.
One of Major League Baseball's Biggest Trades
Simmons was also involved in perhaps the biggest trade in baseball history on Dec. 12, 1980, when he, Vuckovich and Rollie Fingers were traded by the Cardinals to the Milwaukee Brewers for Sixto Lezcano, David Green, Larry Sorensen and Dave La Point.
The deal helped turn the Brewers into AL champions, but ironically, Simmons and the Brewers lost to his old St. Louis teammates in the 1982 World Series. In the only World Series of his career, Simmons hit two home runs as the Brewers fell in seven games.
He spent five years with Milwaukee , including 1983 when he hit .308 with a career-high 108 RBI. His best season was 1975 with St. Louis , when his .332 batting average was second only to Bill Madlock in the NL, and he had a career-best 193 hits.
Wound Up Career in Atlanta; Cooperstown Should be Next
Simmons spent his final three seasons as a backup with the Atlanta Braves, retiring after the 1988 season. Hopefully, he will return to baseball soon, when the only question remaining will be whether to enter the Hall as a Cardinal or a Brewer.
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