Al Simmons

Al Simmons

Birthdate	5/22/1902
Death Date	5/26/1956
Debut Year	1924
Year of Induction	1953
Teams	Athletics, Braves, Red Sox, Reds, Senators, Tigers, White Sox
Positions	Left Field, Outfield

When Al Simmons retired, only Babe Ruth, Cap Anson, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, and Jimmie Foxx had more runs batted in during their careers.

Al Simmons lifetime pass granted in 1935, the 502nd issued

Al Simmons broke in with Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics in 1924 and immediately made his presence felt, tallying 183 hits, driving in 102 runs, and earning MVP votes by season’s end. Each of the next three campaigns Simmons was in the top 5 in MVP balloting. His first 9 big league

Al Simmons received a solid gold lifetime pass by virtue of his 20-year big league career

In the collection is this 10 karat solid gold lifetime pass. When such gold passes were originally issued in 1935, only 17 were issued. Players received the gold cards once they accrued 20 years in the big leagues. Notice the markings of “20 years” engraved in between the

Al Simmons personal check from 1938

Personal checks are a great way to secure authentic autographs. Shown here is one such check from Al Simmons, holder of a .334 lifetime average. An outfielder in the first three Major League Baseball All Star games, Simmons enjoyed a 20-year big league career. A back-to-back World Series champion in

Autographed photo of Al Simmons in street clothes

Nicknamed “Bucketfoot Al” for the first step by his front leg when batting, Simmons broke into the big leagues as a 21-year old in 1924. Simmons enjoyed a dozen years with Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics and ended up playing for seven teams during his 20-year career. Shown her

Closeup of Simmons' autograph on the photo

After Al Simmons retired in 1944 he had to wait until 1953 to get inducted into the Hall of Fame. With 2,927 hits, a .334 lifetime average and over 1,800 RBI, it remains a bit of a surprise that Simmons’ wait for the Hall was as lengthy as it was. Here is a closeup of the signature on the phot

Former Athletics player Dick Adams writes that Al Simmons was the de facto manager during Connie Mack's final seasons

Connie Mack started managing the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901 at age 38 and led them to their first American League championship a year later. Mack held the reigns as skipper for decades through his 87th

A Story about Al Simmons

Lifetime passes were the brainchild of NL President Ford Frick; here’s a pictorial history

June 18th, 2016 Leave a comment

A newspaper man turned league publicist turned league president came up with a brilliant idea in 1934 — reward longtime National League players with a lifetime pass to all NL games. Senior Circuit owners approved Ford Frick’s proposal at the league meeting in December of ’34. A few months later, Frick sent out ornately decorated paper Lifetime Passes to the NL’s greatest players. He even sent one to Babe Ruth who appeared in all of 28 games for the Boston Braves in 1935. A 21-year veteran of the American League, the Babe was grateful if not surprised when he remarked, “At least the National League has a heart”. An image of the original paper pass presented to Hall of Fame outfielder Sliding Billy Hamilton can be seen below. A similar pass curiously issued to Stan Coveleski, a lifetime American Leaguer is also shown. Perhaps shamed by Ruth’s remarks, the American League joined forces in 1936 to issue a pass to all Major League contests. Players with twenty or more years of service received a solid gold pass. Seventeen men qualified for the true “golden ticket” — Ruth, Fred Clarke, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Bill Dahlen, Harry Davis, Red Faber, Walter Johnson, […]