Al Simmons

Pro team(s)

Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox

Hall of Fame

⭐ National Baseball Hall of Fame

Aloys Szymanski — better known as Al Simmons — was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Polish immigrants, and became one of the greatest right-handed hitters of the Deadball Era and the 1920s-30s power era. Known for his "bucket foot" batting stance (his left foot stepped toward third base while he swung), a movement that should have been a flaw but instead produced one of the most potent swings in baseball history. Simmons played primarily for the Philadelphia Athletics under the legendary Connie Mack, winning back-to-back World Series championships in 1929 and 1930 as part of one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history. He won two American League batting titles in 1930 (.381) and 1931 (.390), drove in more than 100 runs in each of his first 11 seasons — a feat surpassed only by Lou Gehrig — and finished his career with a .334 batting average and 307 home runs over 20 seasons. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.