Al Simmons (1953)


Date of Birth: 5/22/1902
Date of Death: 5/26/1956
Birthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Al Simmons, born Alois Szymanski, changed his name while he was a minor league player. He played for Milwaukee in the American Association in 1922, and he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics from that team in December, 1923.

Philadelphia Athletics

In 1924, Simmons was in the starting lineup for the Athletics. That year, he batted .308 with 183 hits, 31 doubles, and 102 RBIs in 152 games. The next year, he led the American League in hits with his career high of 253 hits. He had a career high 53 doubles in 1926 and a career high batting average of .392 in 1927.

Simmons led the American League in RBIs in 1929 with 157. He won the Sporting News MVP award that season. He finished the season with 212 hits, 41 doubles, 34 home runs, and a .365 batting average in 143 games.

Simmons had his best season in 1930, winning the American League Batting title with a .381 batting average. That season he had 211 hits and 41 doubles and career highs in triples with 16, home runs with 36, and RBIs with 165. A year later, in 1931, Simmons won his second American League Batting title, this time with a batting average of .390. He finished the season with 200 hits, 37 doubles, 13 triples, 22 home runs, and 128 RBIs in 128 games.

Simmons had a strong 1932 season, leading the American League in hits with 216. However, after the season ended, he left the Athletics to play for three years with the Chicago White Sox.

Chicago White Sox

Simmons started strong with the White Sox in 1933, batting .331 in 146 games. He had 200 hits, 29 doubles, 14 home runs, and 119 RBIs. He had another strong season in 1934, batting .344 with 192 hits, 36 doubles, 18 home runs, and 104 RBIs in 138 games.

In 1935, his last season with the White Sox, Simmons batted just .267 with 140 hits in 128 games.

Detroit Tigers

In 1936, Simmons played with the Detroit Tigers. That season he batted .327 with 186 hits, 38 doubles, and 112 RBIs in 143 games.

Washington Senators

Simmons played with the Washington Senators in 1937 and 1938. In his first season with the Senators, he batted .279 with 117 hits, 21 doubles, and 84 RBIs in 103 games. He had a better season in 1938, when he had 142 hits, 23 doubles, 21 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a .302 batting average in 125 games.

Final Years as a Player

Simmons joined the Boston Braves after the 1938 season ended. He didn't stay long with the Braves, playing in 93 games with them in 1939 before going to the Cincinnati Reds for nine games. He moved back to the Athletics in 1940 for two years.

Simmons didn't play in 1942 and he played in just 40 games with the Boston Red Sox in 1943. He ended his major league playing career in 1944 with the Athletics, playing in just four games that final season.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Sporting News MVP
  • Led the AL in batting average (2 times)
  • Led the AL in hits (2 times)

Career Statistics

Simmons played in over 100 games in each of 16 seasons (1924-1939). His statistics during that time include:

  • 12 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 253 in 1925
  • 10 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 53 in 1926
  • 7 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 16 in 1930
  • 6 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 36 in 1930
  • 12 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 165 in 1930
  • 13 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .392 in 1927

Career batting statistics for Simmons include:

  • 2,215 games played
  • 2,927 hits
  • 539 doubles
  • 149 triples
  • 307 home runs
  • 1,827 RBIs
  • 737 strikeouts to 615 walks
  • .334 batting average
  • .380 on-base percentage
  • .915 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Simmons as an outfielder include:

  • 2,142 games played
  • 94 errors
  • 169 assists
  • 4,988 putouts
  • .982 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Simmons include:

  • 4 postseasons
  • 19 games played
  • 73 at-bats
  • 24 hits
  • 6 doubles
  • 6 home runs
  • 17 RBIs
  • 9 strikeouts to 6 walks
  • .329 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring from major league baseball as a player, Simmons became a coach, first for the Athletics (1945-1949) and then for the Cleveland Indians (1950).

Simmons was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1953 on the ninth ballot with 75.4% of the vote.

Simmons died in 1956, at the age of 54, from a heart attack.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Al Simmons
ESPN - Al Simmons
Baseball Reference - Al Simmons

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