Ted Simmons, baseball player, 248 home runs, 1968-1988

Ted Simmons

⭐ Hall of Fame 2020

Born: 8/9/1949 in Highland Park, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1968-09-21 | Final Game: 1988-10-02

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 193 lbs

Full name: Ted Lyle Simmons

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Ted Simmons, born in 1949, was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball from his debut in 1968 until his retirement in 1988. Over the course of his illustrious career, which spanned two decades, he played a total of 2,456 games and established himself as one of the most reliable catchers and position players of his era. Simmons finished his career with a remarkable .285 batting average, amassing 2,472 hits and 248 home runs, while driving in 1,389 runs. His offensive prowess was complemented by a surprising agility for a player of his position, as he also recorded 21 stolen bases. Simmons was selected as an All-Star eight times, showcasing his consistent performance and popularity among fans and peers alike. His contributions to the game were recognized in 2020 when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest catchers in the history of the sport. Playing during a transformative era in baseball, Simmons was known for his strong offensive output and leadership behind the plate, influencing the catching position for generations to come. His career remains a significant chapter in the history of baseball, reflecting the evolution of the game throughout the late 20th century.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2456 8680 1074 2472 483 47 248 1389 21 855 694 0.285 0.348 0.437 0.785 19563.6

Career AVG .285 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — +11.0% above league average.

Career OBP .348 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.

Career SLG .437 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — +14.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.785 vs. league average 0.703 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1968 STL NL 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1969 STL NL 5 14 0 3 0 1 0 3 0 1 1 0.214 — — — — 0.0
1970 STL NL 82 284 29 69 8 2 3 24 2 37 37 0.243 .253 (-4%) .325 (+2%) .385 (-18%) .711 (-9%) -338.7
1971 STL NL 133 510 64 155 32 4 7 77 1 36 50 0.304 .249 (+22%) .316 (+10%) .365 (+16%) .682 (+13%) 1100.5
1972 STL NL 152 594 70 180 36 6 16 96 1 29 57 0.303 .243 (+24%) .310 (+8%) .353 (+31%) .664 (+20%) 2012.9
1973 STL NL 161 619 62 192 36 2 13 91 2 61 47 0.310 .256 (+21%) .325 (+14%) .378 (+16%) .703 (+15%) 1867.2
1974 STL NL 152 599 66 163 33 6 20 103 0 47 35 0.272 .256 (+6%) .324 (+1%) .369 (+21%) .693 (+12%) 1142.5
1975 STL NL 157 581 80 193 32 3 18 100 1 63 35 0.332 .257 (+29%) .327 (+21%) .374 (+31%) .701 (+26%) 3123.2
1976 STL NL 150 546 60 159 35 3 5 75 0 73 35 0.291 .255 (+14%) .320 (+16%) .360 (+9%) .681 (+12%) 1469.8
1977 STL NL 150 516 82 164 25 3 21 95 2 79 37 0.318 .264 (+20%) .329 (+24%) .401 (+25%) .730 (+24%) 2847.2
1978 STL NL 152 516 71 148 40 5 22 80 1 77 39 0.287 .257 (+11%) .323 (+17%) .378 (+35%) .702 (+27%) 2775.3
1979 STL NL 123 448 68 127 22 0 26 87 0 61 34 0.283 .265 (+7%) .329 (+12%) .397 (+27%) .727 (+20%) 1841.6
1980 STL NL 145 495 84 150 33 2 21 98 1 59 45 0.303 .264 (+15%) .326 (+15%) .387 (+30%) .714 (+23%) 2326.9
1981 ATL AL 100 380 45 82 13 3 14 61 0 23 32 0.216 .255 (-16%) .320 (-18%) .368 (+2%) .688 (-7%) -667.3
1982 ATL AL 137 539 73 145 29 0 23 97 0 32 40 0.269 .261 (+3%) .324 (-5%) .388 (+16%) .712 (+7%) 499.0
1983 ATL AL 153 600 76 185 39 3 13 108 4 41 51 0.308 .260 (+18%) .324 (+8%) .389 (+15%) .714 (+12%) 1330.1
1984 ATL AL 132 497 44 110 23 2 4 52 3 30 40 0.221 .259 (-15%) .322 (-17%) .384 (-22%) .707 (-20%) -1911.1
1985 ATL AL 143 528 60 144 28 2 12 76 1 57 32 0.273 .257 (+6%) .323 (+6%) .390 (+3%) .714 (+4%) 478.5
1986 ATL NL 76 127 14 32 5 0 4 25 1 12 14 0.252 .257 (-2%) .325 (-4%) .395 (-2%) .720 (-3%) -100.1
1987 ATL NL 73 177 20 49 8 0 4 30 1 21 23 0.277 .262 (+5%) .331 (+6%) .415 (-6%) .746 (-1%) 6.2
1988 ATL NL 78 107 6 21 6 0 2 11 0 15 9 0.196 .254 (-23%) .317 (-8%) .377 (-18%) .695 (-14%) -240.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 59 6 11 1 0 3 8 8 9 0.186

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1982 ALCS ML4 5 18 3 3 0 0 0 1 1 4 0.167
1982 WS ML4 7 23 2 4 0 0 2 3 5 3 0.174
1981 AEDIV ML4 5 18 1 4 1 0 1 4 2 2 0.222

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 195 178 1561 141 28 142
3B 29 20 14 36 9 2
C 1771 1687 8906 915 130 104
OF 40 40 63 0 2 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 SLN C 2 1 3 1 0 0
1969 SLN C 4 3 22 0 1 0
1970 SLN C 79 74 466 37 5 2
1971 SLN C 130 126 747 52 9 11
1972 SLN 1B 15 15 125 15 5 9
1972 SLN C 135 134 842 78 8 6
1973 SLN 1B 6 7 38 4 1 1
1973 SLN C 153 151 888 74 13 13
1973 SLN OF 2 2 6 0 0 0
1974 SLN 1B 12 11 96 5 4 5
1974 SLN C 141 139 717 82 11 13
1975 SLN 1B 2 2 10 2 0 0
1975 SLN C 154 148 803 62 15 5
1975 SLN OF 2 2 5 0 0 0
1976 SLN 1B 30 26 219 21 3 21
1976 SLN 3B 2 2 3 1 3 0
1976 SLN C 113 108 493 66 4 4
1976 SLN OF 7 7 11 0 0 0
1977 SLN C 143 139 683 75 10 5
1977 SLN OF 1 1 0 0 0 0
1978 SLN C 134 119 670 88 9 6
1978 SLN OF 23 23 33 0 1 0
1979 SLN C 122 118 606 69 10 10
1980 SLN C 129 120 520 71 9 12
1980 SLN OF 5 5 8 0 1 0
1981 ML4 1B 4 4 33 4 1 4
1981 ML4 C 75 72 300 37 7 3
1982 ML4 C 121 120 570 62 3 8
1983 ML4 C 86 83 395 41 11 4
1984 ML4 1B 37 37 346 27 2 35
1984 ML4 3B 14 14 6 25 6 2
1985 ML4 1B 28 27 226 17 2 22
1985 ML4 3B 2 2 0 5 0 0
1985 ML4 C 15 11 65 4 1 1
1986 ATL 1B 14 11 124 10 5 13
1986 ATL 3B 9 1 3 3 0 0
1986 ATL C 10 6 40 5 1 0
1987 ATL 1B 28 23 216 23 4 24
1987 ATL 3B 2 1 2 2 0 0
1987 ATL C 15 14 64 10 1 1
1988 ATL 1B 19 15 128 13 1 8
1988 ATL C 10 1 12 1 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1769
First Base 196
Third Base 29
Left Field 37
Right Field 3
Designated Hitter 279

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1980 Silver Slugger C
1979 Player of the Week Week of 1979-06-08
1979 TSN All-Star C
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-06-02
1978 TSN All-Star C
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-04-08
1977 TSN All-Star C
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-05-17
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-09-06

Featured In Rankings

#11
Top 20 Catchers in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 11 of 20
→

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1988 ATL NL $470,000
1987 ATL NL $500,000
1986 ATL NL $1,000,000
1985 ML4 AL $1,000,000
Total Career Earnings $2,970,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1983 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 4.0 392 0
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 58.0 336 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 103.0 336 0
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 7.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 20.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 22.0 336 0
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 13.0 336 0