Congratulations Simba!

Photo Courtesy ESPN.com

Former St. Louis Cardinal catcher Ted Simmons is finally in the baseball Hall of Fame.  Simmons was elected to the Hall this past week by the 16 member Modern Baseball Era committee.

Simmons played 21 years in the "show" with 13 of them in St. Louis, five in Milwaukee and the final three years with the Atlanta Braves.  Simmons retired after the 1988 season but was snubbed repeatedly by baseball writers.  But, this past Sunday night Simmons received the recognition he has long deserved.  He played in eight All-Star games during his career and ended up with a .285 lifetime average, 248 homers and 1389 RBI.  Granted those numbers are not overly impressive for outfielders and corner infielders, but for a catcher they are very good and compare favorably with other catchers who have been selected to the Hall of Fame.

I had the chance to watch Simmons in person on numerous occasions during the 70's.  I remember Simmons as one of the few bright spots in an otherwise crappy lineup.  He hit over .300 on five occasions during the decade.  Congratulations Ted Simmons!

Simmons will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 26, 2020 in Cooperstown, New York.  In addition Marvin Miller, who was a labor executive in the same era that Simmons played, will also be inducted along with the class of 2020 which will be selected in January.