2021 National Signer - Ted Simmons

Another of the signers I paid to see was newly minted Hall of Famer, Ted Simmons.  I had already gotten on my 1987 Topps, but I needed him on a baseball for the Hall of Fame collection.  My 153rd Hall of Famer, Simmons was really nice.  I wish there wasn't an additional fee for him to put HOF on the ball, but Tristar likes their money.

Simmons (b. 1949) played in the majors from 1968 to 1988 for the Cardinals, Brewers and Braves.  He had 2,472 hits, 248 home runs and a .285 batting average.  He was an 8-time All Star (1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1983) and his best MVP finish was 6th (NL, 1975).  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020 by the Veterans Committee.  He had previously appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1994, but received only 3.7% of the vote.  That is a huge change of heart.  It seems that the writers didn't feel he deserved to get in, but other Hall of Famers thought otherwise.