| Al Simmons | |
|---|---|
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| Left fielder | |
| Born:
May 22, 1902 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
|
| Died:
May 26, 1956 (aged 54) Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1924 for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 1, 1944 for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .334 |
| Hits | 2,927 |
| Home runs | 307 |
| Runs batted in | 1,827 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
|
| Induction | 1953 |
| Vote | 75.4% (seventh ballot) |
Aloysius Harry Simmons (May 22, 1902 - May 26, 1956), born Aloisius Szymanski[1][2] in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was an American player in Major League Baseball for over two decades. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
Aloisius Szymanski changed his name to Al Simmons when he grew tired of scorekeepers butchering his last name. Simmons was chosen after seeing a large sign advertising Simmons Hardware.
A "bucketfoot" hitter (his nickname was "Bucketfoot Al") who strode toward third base when hitting, Simmons starred as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics during their heyday in the early 1930s, then went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Red Sox.
Simmons hit 307 career home runs, also compiling more hits than any right-handed batter in American League history until surpassed by Al Kaline. A deadly clutch hitter and a favorite of manager Connie Mack, Simmons won batting titles in 1930 and 1931 to help the A's to consecutive pennants. He recorded a .300 batting average and 100 or more runs batted in (RBI) in his first eleven major league seasons.
Simmons' accumulated 2,000 hits in 1,390 games, which remains the shortest number of games needed to attain that mark in major league history.
Al Simmons' best year as a player was in 1930, when he drove in 165 runs and scored 152 in only 138 games. He played for twenty years from 1924 through 1941, then appearing in 1943-44 and accumulating a lifetime batting average of .334.
After his playing days ended, Simmons served as a coach for Mack's Athletics (1945-49) and the Cleveland Indians (1950).
In a 1976 Esquire magazine article, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Al Simmons was the right fielder on Stein's Polish team.
Simmons died of a heart attack in Milwaukee at age 54. He was buried at St. Adalbert's (Roman Catholic) Cemetery in Milwaukee.
In 1999, he ranked number 43 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
| Preceded by Lou Gehrig & Babe Ruth |
American League
RBI Champion 1929 |
Succeeded by Lou Gehrig |
| Preceded by Lew Fonseca |
American League Batting
Champion 1930-1931 |
Succeeded by Dale Alexander |
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   | Baseball Hall of Fame - National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: The Hall of Famers |
| | Career statistics and analysis at ''Baseball Reference'' - Al Simmons Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com |
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