Al Simmons (May 22, 1902 - May 26, 1956), born Aloysius Szymański in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was an American player in Major League Baseball over three decades. Aloysius Szymanski changed his name to Al Simmons after seeing an ad for a hardware store in the newspaper.
A "bucketfoot" hitter who strode toward third base when hitting, Simmons starred as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics during their heyday in the early 1930s, then went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Red Sox.
Al Simmons hit 307 home runs. The Philadelphia Athletics' outfielder compiled more hits than any right-handed batter in American League history until surpassed by Al Kaline. A deadly clutch-hitter and a favorite of Connie Mack,Simmons won batting titles in 1930 and 1931 to help the A's to consecutive pennants. He recorded 11 consecutive seasons as a .300 hitter and 100-RBI man.
Al Simmons' best year as a player was in 1927 when he batted .392 for the Philadelphia Athletics.
Simmons was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953 after playing for twenty years from 1924 to 1943 and accumulating a lifetime batting average of .334.
Simmons died of a heart attack in Milwaukee at age 54.
In 1999, he ranked number 43 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
