Joe Mauer vs Ted Simmons: Career Stats Comparison

Joe Mauer (2004–2018) and Ted Simmons (1968–1988) — they broke in during the 2000s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Joe Mauer finished with 2,123 hits and 143 home runs; Ted Simmons finished with 2,472 hits and 248 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Joe Mauer

Hitter · 2004–2018
Games
1,858
Hits
2,123
Home Runs
143
RBI
923
Avg
.306
OPS
.827
View Joe Mauer's full profile →

Ted Simmons

Hitter · 1968–1988
Games
2,456
Hits
2,472
Home Runs
248
RBI
1,389
Avg
.285
OPS
.785
View Ted Simmons's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Joe Mauer and Ted Simmons. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Joe Mauer Ted Simmons
Games 1,858 2,456
At-Bats 6,930 8,680
Runs 1,018 1,074
Hits 2,123 2,472
Doubles 428 483
Triples 30 47
Home Runs 143 248
RBI 923 1,389
Walks 939 855
Strikeouts 1,034 694
Stolen Bases 52 21
Batting Avg .306 .285
On-Base % .388 .348
Slugging % .439 .437
OPS .827 .785

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ted Simmons edges Joe Mauer 20,131 to 20,061 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (959 vs 1,337 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Joe Mauer
20,061
Career PIV · 1,337 per season (15 seasons)
Ted Simmons
20,131
Career PIV · 959 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Joe Mauer — top 3 seasons by OPS

20091.031 OPS28 HR, 96 RBI, .365 avg
2006.936 OPS13 HR, 84 RBI, .347 avg
2013.880 OPS11 HR, 47 RBI, .324 avg

Ted Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS

1977.908 OPS21 HR, 95 RBI, .318 avg
1978.889 OPS22 HR, 80 RBI, .287 avg
1975.887 OPS18 HR, 100 RBI, .332 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ted Simmons leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Joe Mauer owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ted Simmons. PIV agrees: Ted Simmons grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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