COOPERSTOWN, New York – Ted Simmons was one of the most underrated figures in the majors of the 1970s, playing for a St. Louis Cardinals who never made the playoffs and were rarely seen on television.
Yet as a fearsome two-handed hitter and catcher, few combined his offensive prowess with a defense behind the plate that improved over the course of the aforementioned decade. Thanks to new analytics from the last 15 years — such as historian Jay Jaffe’s “JAWS” system — Simmons went from receiving less than 5% in his only year on the ballot from the Baseball Writers Association of North America (BBWAA). ), 1994, to be elected in December 2019 by the Modern Baseball Committee.
“One time and it’s very drastic,” Simmons said of the old system of only being able to get elected by the BBWAA. “I think that in the end, people recognized that and wanted to rectify it. Luckily, it was done and things were changed ”.
At 72, Simmons has finally been recognized. With a lifetime WAR of 50.3 (Baseball-Reference version), he will join Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Puerto Rican Iván Rodríguez, Yogi Berra, Mike Piazza, Bill Dickey, Gabby Hartnett and Mickey Cochrane as retired receivers in Cooperstown with WAR of. 50 or more. The only other mask with at least 50 WAR, Joe Mauer (55.2), retired after 2018 will be seen on the BBWAA ballot in a couple of years.
“It’s always been said that the Hall of Fame is a difficult place to get to, as it should be,” said Simmons. “They broadened the process for someone like me, and maybe others, to maybe join the group eventually.”
Scheduled to be officially inducted on Wednesday alongside Derek Jeter, Larry Walker and Marvin Miller (posthumously), Simmons had a .301 average, 902 RBI, .834 OPS and 131 OPS + between 1971 and 1980, being called up. to six All-Star Games. And he did all of that by hosting more than 130 games per season on a Cardinals team that played in Busch Stadium II “sauna” conditions in hot St. Louis summers on synthetic grass.
Following stops with the Brewers and Braves, Simmons finished his 21-year career with 1,389 RBIs, 118 OPS + and 42.6 JAWS, 11th best in that regard and accompanied by all-time Hall of Famers (with the exception of Mauer , to whom it would be his turn soon).
LUXURY ARM RECEIVER
Interestingly, Simmons had the opportunity to regularly host five pitchers who are in the Hall of Fame.
In St. Louis it was the last part of Bob Gibson’s career and the early years of Steve Carton, before the great transformation of the southpaw in Philadelphia. In Milwaukee, he was able to make a drumming pair with Don Sutton in the 1980s. And later in that decade, he received shipments from two young men in Atlanta who were just beginning their journey to Cooperstown: Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.
“I was very lucky to get those pitchers,” Simmons said. “They stand out dramatically from the others. His skills are superior. When you’re a catcher all those years and you host people like them, then you see how the level drops dramatically with the others. You realize how special they are, compared to the others. “
OTHER RECEIVERS ON THE WAY?
How is a recipient’s work evaluated? Fewer number of passed balls? Higher percentage of retired runners in robbery attempts? How do you ask for the game behind the plate? Leadership with your pitchers? Offensive production?
That has been the dilemma for many years with the catchers for the BBWAA voters and the members of the various veterans committees. But, taking WAR and JAWS into account, an upcoming batch of receivers can be envisioned in Cooperstown.
Although he did not finish his career as a mask, Mauer seems to have a good chance. Puerto Rican Jorge Posada, with a cumulative WAR of 42.7 and JAWS of 37.7 (19th), did not reach the 5% needed in 2017, his first year, to remain on the ballot. Yadier Molina, also from Puerto Rico, has 41.6 and 28.7 (22nd). In the middle of his great 2021, Venezuelan Salvador Pérez has climbed to 29.0 and 23.2 (42nd).
The one who is closest right now, to being guided by WAR and JAWS, is Buster Posey, with 44.1 and 36.6, number 14 of all time.
“There is Molina,” Simmons said when asked for his opinion on the matter. And Posey. There are two candidates that people will want to see ”.
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