Ted Simmons
Catcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1968-1988)
Ted Simmons was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1988 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Atlanta Braves, a span of 21 seasons. In 2,456 career games, he hit .285 with 2,472 hits, 248 home runs, and 1,389 RBI. Ted Simmons was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020 and was a 8-time All-Star and a Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 20,131.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 193 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1968-09-21
- Last Game
- 1988-10-02
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 2020 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 8× All-Star · Silver Slugger
Full name: Ted Lyle Simmons
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,456 | 8,680 | 1,074 | 2,472 | 483 | 47 | 248 | 1,389 | 21 | 855 | 694 | .285 | .348 | .437 | .785 | 20,131 |
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 .785 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| 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 | SLN | NL | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | SLN | NL | 5 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | SLN | NL | 82 | 284 | 29 | 69 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 2 | 37 | 37 | .243 | .253 (-4%) | .325 (+2%) | .385 (-18%) | .711 (-9%) | -294.0 |
| 1971 | SLN | NL | 133 | 510 | 64 | 155 | 32 | 4 | 7 | 77 | 1 | 36 | 50 | .304 | .249 (+22%) | .316 (+10%) | .365 (+16%) | .682 (+13%) | 1100.5 |
| 1972 | SLN | NL | 152 | 594 | 70 | 180 | 36 | 6 | 16 | 96 | 1 | 29 | 57 | .303 | .243 (+24%) | .310 (+8%) | .353 (+31%) | .664 (+20%) | 2012.9 |
| 1973 | SLN | NL | 161 | 619 | 62 | 192 | 36 | 2 | 13 | 91 | 2 | 61 | 47 | .310 | .256 (+21%) | .325 (+14%) | .378 (+16%) | .703 (+15%) | 1867.2 |
| 1974 | SLN | NL | 152 | 599 | 66 | 163 | 33 | 6 | 20 | 103 | 0 | 47 | 35 | .272 | .256 (+6%) | .324 (+1%) | .369 (+21%) | .693 (+12%) | 1142.5 |
| 1975 | SLN | NL | 157 | 581 | 80 | 193 | 32 | 3 | 18 | 100 | 1 | 63 | 35 | .332 | .257 (+29%) | .327 (+21%) | .374 (+31%) | .701 (+26%) | 3123.2 |
| 1976 | SLN | NL | 150 | 546 | 60 | 159 | 35 | 3 | 5 | 75 | 0 | 73 | 35 | .291 | .255 (+14%) | .320 (+16%) | .360 (+9%) | .681 (+12%) | 1469.8 |
| 1977 | SLN | NL | 150 | 516 | 82 | 164 | 25 | 3 | 21 | 95 | 2 | 79 | 37 | .318 | .264 (+20%) | .329 (+24%) | .401 (+25%) | .730 (+24%) | 2847.2 |
| 1978 | SLN | NL | 152 | 516 | 71 | 148 | 40 | 5 | 22 | 80 | 1 | 77 | 39 | .287 | .257 (+11%) | .323 (+17%) | .378 (+35%) | .702 (+27%) | 2775.3 |
| 1979 | SLN | NL | 123 | 448 | 68 | 127 | 22 | 0 | 26 | 87 | 0 | 61 | 34 | .283 | .265 (+7%) | .329 (+12%) | .397 (+27%) | .727 (+20%) | 1841.6 |
| 1980 | SLN | NL | 145 | 495 | 84 | 150 | 33 | 2 | 21 | 98 | 1 | 59 | 45 | .303 | .264 (+15%) | .326 (+15%) | .387 (+30%) | .714 (+23%) | 2326.9 |
| 1981 | ML4 | AL | 100 | 380 | 45 | 82 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 61 | 0 | 23 | 32 | .216 | .255 (-16%) | .320 (-18%) | .368 (+2%) | .688 (-7%) | -563.0 |
| 1982 | ML4 | AL | 137 | 539 | 73 | 145 | 29 | 0 | 23 | 97 | 0 | 32 | 40 | .269 | .261 (+3%) | .324 (-5%) | .388 (+16%) | .712 (+7%) | 499.0 |
| 1983 | ML4 | AL | 153 | 600 | 76 | 185 | 39 | 3 | 13 | 108 | 4 | 41 | 51 | .308 | .260 (+18%) | .324 (+8%) | .389 (+15%) | .714 (+12%) | 1330.1 |
| 1984 | ML4 | AL | 132 | 497 | 44 | 110 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 52 | 3 | 30 | 40 | .221 | .259 (-15%) | .322 (-17%) | .384 (-22%) | .707 (-20%) | -1535.7 |
| 1985 | ML4 | AL | 143 | 528 | 60 | 144 | 28 | 2 | 12 | 76 | 1 | 57 | 32 | .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 | .252 | .257 (-2%) | .325 (-4%) | .395 (-2%) | .720 (-3%) | -87.7 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | 73 | 177 | 20 | 49 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 21 | 23 | .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 | .196 | .254 (-23%) | .317 (-8%) | .377 (-18%) | .695 (-14%) | -209.8 |
| Career · 21 seasons | 2,456 | 8,680 | 1,074 | 2,472 | 483 | 47 | 248 | 1,389 | 21 | 855 | 694 | .285 | — | — | — | — | 20,131 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2456 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1218 | 4183 | 517 | 1165 | 116 | 702 | .279 |
| Away | 1238 | 4497 | 557 | 1307 | 132 | 687 | .291 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-10-02 | ATL | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-10-01 | ATL | CIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-30 | ATL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-29 | ATL | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-28 | ATL | HOU | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-24 | ATL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-23 | ATL | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-09-21 | ATL | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988-09-20 | ATL | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-19 | ATL | SFG | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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
Circle size = games played at each 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 |
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 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ted Simmons (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Ted Simmons
Ted Simmons: the record in brief
The profile opens with Ted Simmons's first major league game on September 21, 1968; the last one listed came on October 2, 1988. Simmons played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1968 through 1980), the Milwaukee Brewers (1981 to 1985), and the Atlanta Braves (1986 to 1988). At 193 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame, Simmons is listed as a catcher. The bio says Simmons batted from both sides and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is August 9, 1949, in Highland Park, MI, USA. The bio lists the given name Ted Lyle.
In 2,456 games and 8,680 at bats, Simmons batted .285 with 2,472 hits, along with 248 home runs, 1,389 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .348 clip and slugging .437, Simmons finished with a .785 OPS. Measured against the leagues Simmons played in, the .285 career average compares with a .257 league average over the same seasons, 11.0% above the league. For power, 1979 stands out: 26 home runs with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ted Simmons
- What years did Ted Simmons play?
- Ted Simmons played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1988.
- Was Ted Simmons a pitcher?
- No. Ted Simmons was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ted Simmons hit?
- Ted Simmons hit 248 career home runs with 2472 hits.
- Is Ted Simmons in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Ted Simmons was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.
- What was Ted Simmons's career batting average?
- Ted Simmons batted .285 over his career, with 2,472 hits in 8,680 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ted Simmons have?
- Ted Simmons drove in 1,389 runs in his career.