Cardinals' 5 all-time best catchers in franchise history

2. Ted Simmons

One of the greatest offensive catchers of all time, Ted Simmons was often overlooked because he was considered only an average defender and played in a golden era of backstops, which included Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Thurman Munson. The Cardinals took him in the first round of the 1967 draft, and the bulk of his time with them came in the 1970s, a decade of relative futility for the team. He hit .298 across 13 years in St. Louis and was an All-Star six times. He also led the National League three times in games caught.

The Cardinals traded Simmons to the Milwaukee Brewers in December of 1980 after he won his only Silver Slugger Award. In five seasons with the Brewers, Simmons hit .262. He finished his career with the Atlanta Braves, retiring after the 1988 season.

Simmons batted over .300 seven times and finished his career as the all-time major league record holder for hits and doubles by a catcher. Nevertheless, he dropped off the Hall of Fame ballot in his first eligible year, receiving only 3.7% of the vote. He was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Modern Baseball Committee in 2020.