Sports
Ted Simmons
born 1949 · baseball catcher
Highland Park-born, Southfield-raised switch-hitting catcher, one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball history and a 2020 Hall of Fame electee.
- Born
Highland Park, Michigan
age 77- Birth name
- Ted Lyle Simmons
- Also known as
- Simba
- Detroit years
- 1949–1967
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Ted Simmons was born in Highland Park, inside Detroit's borders, and grew up in the suburbs, graduating from Southfield High School in 1967. A standout athlete who was also recruited to play college football, he chose baseball when the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him in the first round in 1967. Over 21 major-league seasons with the Cardinals, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves he became one of the finest hitting catchers ever, a switch-hitter with a better batting average than his great contemporary Johnny Bench, and he retired with the National League record for home runs by a switch-hitter. He played in eight All-Star Games and helped Milwaukee reach the 1982 World Series. Long overlooked by Hall of Fame voters, he was elected by the Modern Baseball Era committee in December 2019 and enshrined in 2021. The Cardinals retired his No. 23 and unveiled his statue the same year.
Highlights
- Southfield High School graduate, 1967
- One of the best-hitting catchers in baseball history
- Eight-time All-Star
- Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 (inducted 2021)
- Cardinals retired his No. 23 in 2021
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1963–1967
Southfield High School
Status being checked
His high school in suburban Southfield; he graduated in 1967.