Al Simmons
An intense competitor, Al Simmons was one of the best hitting outfielders in baseball in the 1920s and 1930s. He drove in at least 100 runs in each of his first 11 seasons in the majors and was a key cog in Connie Mack's last Athletics' dynasty. He was best known for his explosive temper, odd defensive lapses and his peculiar batting stance, which earned him the name "Bucketfoot Al."
Played For
Philadelphia Athletics (1924-1932)
Chicago White Sox (1933-1935)
Detroit Tigers (1936)
Washington Senators (1937-1938)
Boston Braves (1939)
Cincinnati Reds (1939)
Philadelphia Athletics (1940-1941)
Boston Red Sox (1943)
Philadelphia Athletics (1944)
All-Time Rankings
Al Simmons ranks #7 among the Top 50 all-time at LF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1930
This guy had a lot of great seasons. In 1925, at the age of 23, he banged out 253 hits and hit .387. In 1926 he had 53 doubles. In 1927 he hit .392, falling just four hits shy of reaching .400. In 1928 he .351 with 107 RBI in 119 games. In 1929 he had 212 hits, 34 homers, and 157 RBI. In 1931 he hit .390 with a .444 OBP and 128 RBI in 128 games. In 1932 he scored 144 runs, drove in 151, and clubbed 35 homers. In 1933 he reached 200 hits for the fifth consecutive year and plated 119 runners. In 1934 he hit .344 and drove in 100 runs for the 11th straight year. After the age of 32 he wasn't nearly the ballplayer he was in his 20s or early 30s, but he was still decent. His best season was 1930 when he helped the A's to their second straight World Title. Simmons missed two weeks to injury but still scored 152 runs, stroked 211 hits, 41 doubles, 16 triples, 36 homers, batted .381, had an OBP of .423, and slugged .708. He drove in 165 runs. Only super-humans Ruth and Gehrig were better that year.
Factoids
Al Simmons hit five home runs on May 22 during his career, the most by any batter on his own birthday.
Most Career RBI, RH Batters, through 1943
1. Cap Anson... 2,076
2. Rogers Hornsby... 1,882
3. Al Simmons... 1,825
4. Honus Wagner... 1,732
5. Napolean Lajoie... 1,599
Most Career Homers, RH Batters, through 1943
1. Jimmy Foxx... 527
2. Al Simmons... 307
3. Rogers Hornsby... 301
4. Bob Johnson... 259
5. Hank Greenberg... 249
Simmons retired in 1943 and ranked (as we can see above) among the greatest right-handed hitters in history to that time. Since that time, many batters have passed Simmons, and his true greatness has been lost on most baseball fans.
Born
Aloysius Harry Simmons was born on May 22, 1902, in Milwaukee, WI.
Died
May 26, 1956, Milwaukee, WI
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: PHA
Major League Debut
April 15, 1924
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1924
Charlie Gehringer
Al Simmons
Earle Combs
Freddy Lindstrom
Chick Hafey
Red Ruffing
Hughie Critz
Max Bishop
Glenn Wright
Nicknames
Bucketfoot Al
Similar Players
None
Related Players
Mule Haas, Lefty Grove, Goose Goslin
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1936 |
BBWAA |
4 |
1.8% |
1946 |
Nominating Vote |
1 |
.5% |
1947 |
BBWAA |
6 |
3.7% |
1948 |
BBWAA |
60 |
49.6% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
89 |
58.2% |
1949 |
Run Off |
76 |
40.6% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
90 |
53.6% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
116 |
51.3% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
141 |
60.3% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
199 |
75.4% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1929 World Series
1930 World Series
1931 World Series
1939 World Series
Batting Feats
Hitting Streaks
27 games (1931)
23 games (1925)
22 games (1925)
All-Star Selections
1933 AL
1934 AL
1935 AL
Learn More about Al Simmons
Search Amazon.com for Books about Al Simmons ⇒
Search for Al Simmons at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
