Chris Speier
Encyclopedia
Christopher Edward Speier (born June 28, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball
player and current bench coach
for the Cincinnati Reds
. He was drafted second overall in the January secondary 1970 Major League Baseball Draft
.
for the Montreal Expos
, San Francisco Giants
, Chicago Cubs
, and briefly for the St. Louis Cardinals
and Minnesota Twins
during the season.
He accrued a career .246 batting average
and a .970 fielding percentage
. His overall playing strengths were his solid fielding and selective eye at the plate; he led the league in intentional walks in and . He was also named to the National League
All-Star team during the , and seasons as a member of the Giants. He won the Willie Mac Award
for his spirit and leadership during his second time with the Giants.
He was the third base coach for the Chicago Cubs from 2005 to 2006.
He was signed by the Cincinnati Reds
on October 29, 2007, as an infield
coach and also serves as the Reds' bench coach.
Justin Speier
.
Speier converted to Catholicism after meeting his wife and became an activist in the pro-life movement. In 1993 he was the principal of the religious Ville de Marie Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona
. The school was not accredited by the state, nor was it affiliated with the local diocese.
Received communion from Pope John Paul II during a Papal Mass at Candlestick Park in 1987.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player and current bench coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. He was drafted second overall in the January secondary 1970 Major League Baseball Draft
1970 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The regular and secondary phases of the January draft proved more fruitful to major league clubs than the June draft...
.
Playing career
Speier played 19 seasons in the Major Leagues as a shortstopShortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
for the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
, San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, and briefly for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
during the season.
He accrued a career .246 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and a .970 fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
. His overall playing strengths were his solid fielding and selective eye at the plate; he led the league in intentional walks in and . He was also named to the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
All-Star team during the , and seasons as a member of the Giants. He won the Willie Mac Award
Willie Mac Award
The Willie Mac Award is named in honor of Willie McCovey. It has been presented annually since 1980. It is awarded to the player on the San Francisco Giants who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by McCovey throughout his long career, voted upon by the players and...
for his spirit and leadership during his second time with the Giants.
Coaching career
He was a coach on the World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.He was the third base coach for the Chicago Cubs from 2005 to 2006.
He was signed by the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
on October 29, 2007, as an infield
Infield
Infield is a widely used term in sports terminology, its meaning depends on the sport in which it is used.- In baseball :In baseball the baseball diamond plus a region beyond it , has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-covered outfield...
coach and also serves as the Reds' bench coach.
Personal life
Speier is the father of former MLB relief pitcherRelief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Justin Speier
Justin Speier
Justin James Speier is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He attended Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona. Upon graduation from Brophy Prep, Speier attended the University of San Francisco where he played catcher for the Dons. He also attended...
.
Speier converted to Catholicism after meeting his wife and became an activist in the pro-life movement. In 1993 he was the principal of the religious Ville de Marie Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
. The school was not accredited by the state, nor was it affiliated with the local diocese.
Received communion from Pope John Paul II during a Papal Mass at Candlestick Park in 1987.