Ryan Speier
Encyclopedia
Ryan Andrew Speier is a right-handed Major League Baseball
pitcher
currently in the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
for Nippon Professional Baseball. He played with the Rockies for his entire Major League career, from when he was called up to July 24, when he was designated for assignment
.
along with Joe Saunders
.
in Virginia
, where he was a standout pitcher for the Highlanders baseball team prior to being signed by the Rockies in 2001 as an undrafted free agent.
http://www.capecodbaseball.org/archives/Records/AllTimeRecords.htm with which he set in 2001 while playing for the Bourne Braves and not giving up an earned run in the process. Speier is a former Minor League Rolaids Relief Award winner (2004) and also currently holds the single season saves record for the Texas League (AA) with 37. He was drafted and remained in the Colorado Rockies
organization until the 2010 season which explains why his numbers on the road are significantly better than at home during that time period. Speier sports a 3.22 ERA and 1.212 WHIP http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=speiery01&year=Career&t=p away from Coors Field
and is praised for his ability to keep the ball in the ball park by only allowing four home runs in 99 innings http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=speiery01&year=Career&t=p. He is also a significantly more productive second half pitcher with a 2.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=speiery01&year=Career&t=p during his career with the Colorado Rockies.
On December 11, 2009, Speier signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals
.
He played at Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
of Atlantic League
in 2010.
On February 16, 2011, he signed with Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
in Japan.
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...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
currently in the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
for Nippon Professional Baseball. He played with the Rockies for his entire Major League career, from when he was called up to July 24, when he was designated for assignment
Designated for assignment
Designated for assignment is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball. When a player is designated for assignment, he is immediately removed from the club's 40-man roster. This gives the club 10 days to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another...
.
High School
Speier was a standout pitcher at West Springfield High School in Springfield, VirginiaSpringfield, Virginia
Springfield is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and a suburb of Washington, D.C. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,484 as of the 2010 census. Homes and businesses in bordering CDPs including North Springfield,...
along with Joe Saunders
Joe Saunders
Joseph Francis Saunders is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.-College and minor league career:...
.
College
Speier attended Radford UniversityRadford University
Radford University is one of Virginia's eight doctoral-degree granting public universities. Originally founded in 1910, Radford offers comprehensive curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, and graduate programs including the M.F.A., M.B.A...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, where he was a standout pitcher for the Highlanders baseball team prior to being signed by the Rockies in 2001 as an undrafted free agent.
Professional career
Speier currently holds the single season saves record in the Cape Cod Baseball LeagueCape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League is a collegiate summer baseball league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, in which many college baseball stars play during the summer. Many future Major League Baseball players have started there during their college years; MLB has provided...
http://www.capecodbaseball.org/archives/Records/AllTimeRecords.htm with which he set in 2001 while playing for the Bourne Braves and not giving up an earned run in the process. Speier is a former Minor League Rolaids Relief Award winner (2004) and also currently holds the single season saves record for the Texas League (AA) with 37. He was drafted and remained in the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
organization until the 2010 season which explains why his numbers on the road are significantly better than at home during that time period. Speier sports a 3.22 ERA and 1.212 WHIP http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=speiery01&year=Career&t=p away from Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
and is praised for his ability to keep the ball in the ball park by only allowing four home runs in 99 innings http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=speiery01&year=Career&t=p. He is also a significantly more productive second half pitcher with a 2.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=speiery01&year=Career&t=p during his career with the Colorado Rockies.
On December 11, 2009, Speier signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
.
He played at Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs is an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2008 season...
of Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
in 2010.
On February 16, 2011, he signed with Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
in Japan.