finalyear bats birth_place debutyear finaldate statvalue position finalteam statlabel debutdate birth_date article_title debutteam name throws
1988 switch highland park , michigan 1968 october 2 .285 2,472 248 1,389 catcher atlanta braves batting average hits home runs runs batted in september 21 9 august 1949 ted simmons
 st. louis cardinals ted simmons right
ted simmons

ted lyle simmons -lrb- born august 9 , 1949 in highland park , michigan -rrb- is an american former professional baseball player and coach .
a switch-hitter , simmons was a catcher for most of his major league baseball career with the st. louis cardinals -lrb- 1968 -- 80 -rrb- , the milwaukee brewers -lrb- 1981 -- 85 -rrb- and the atlanta braves -lrb- 1986 -- 88 -rrb- .
although he was often overshadowed by his contemporary , johnny bench , simmons is considered one of the best hitting catchers in major league baseball history .
while he did n't possess bench 's power hitting ability , he hit for a higher batting average .
a volatile competitor with an intense desire to win , simmons once fought with team-mate john denny during a game at busch memorial stadium , in the runway between the club house and the dugout .
