with seven home runs and 77 RBIs. He finished 16th in balloting for the 1971 National League Most Valuable Player Award as the Cardinals finished in second place behind the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Eastern Division. Simmons refused to sign a contract for the amount of salary offered by the Cardinals in 1972, electing to play without a contract. He ultimately signed a contract well into the season during which he was recognized as one of the top catchers in the league by earning a spot as a reserve on the 1972 National League All-Star team. He finished the year with a .303 batting average with 16 home runs and 96 RBIs, breaking Walker Cooper's team record for RBIs by a catcher and set the team record for home runs by a catcher, previously held jointly by Gene Oliver and Tim McCarver. His defense began to improve as well, posting a .991 fielding percentage and leading National League catchers in assists and in putouts. Despite the Cardinals finishing the season in fourth place, Simmons would finish in 10th place in the National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting. Simmons continued to produce offensively in 1973 with a .310 batting average, along with 13 home runs and 91 RBIs. He also led the league's catchers in putouts and finished second in assists, earning his second All-Star berth as the Cardinals again finished the season in second place. In 1975, Simmons hit 18 home runs along with 100 RBIs and posted a career-high .332 batting average, finishing second in the National League batting championship behind Bill Madlock. He also set a National League single-season record for most hits by a catcher with 188. He finished in 6th place in the National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting as the Cardinals ended the season in fourth place. Simmons broke Johnny Bench's nine-year stranglehold as the starting catcher for the National League All-Star team when he was elected to be the starting catcher for the National League in the 1978 All-Star Game. Simmons led the Cardinals in RBIs every year from 1972 until 1978. In 1979, Simmons hit a career-high 26 home runs, setting the record for most home runs in a season by a Cardinals catcher. He had another strong year in 1980, hitting .303 with 21 home runs and 98 RBIs to win the inaugural Silver Slugger Award which is