Oh, how those September call-ups can distort reality.
In nine games with the Tigers junior varsity (i.e., after they clinched the division), Simmons batted .433 (13 for 30). Move over, Larry Herndon, right?
Nah.
The Tigers’ second pick in the 1981 draft, Simmons (#37) hit 10 homers for the ’85 Tigers. On April 29, 1986 Detroit released him. A few weeks later he signed with the Orioles but he played a mere 16 games in Baltimore during the ’87 season, then got traded to the Mariners in August of that year. He never played for Seattle.
According to his Wikipedia page (yes, he has one), his last season was with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Triple-A Calgary Cannons in 1995. Whoda thunk it?
