Chris Speier

Chris Speier
Shortstop
Born: June 28, 1950 (1950-06-28) (age 61) Alameda, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 7, 1971 for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 1989 for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics
Batting average	.246
Home runs	112
Runs batted in	720
Teams
San Francisco Giants (1971–1977) Montreal Expos (1977–1984) St. Louis Cardinals (1984) Minnesota Twins (1984) Chicago Cubs (1985–1986) San Francisco Giants (1987–1989)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star selection (1972, 1973, 1974)

Christopher Edward Speier (born June 28, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball player and current bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds.^[1] He was drafted second overall in the January secondary 1970 Major League Baseball Draft.

Playing career

Speier played 19 seasons in the Major Leagues as a shortstop for the Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and briefly for the St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins during the 1984 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 1980 and 1981. He was also named to the National League All-Star team during the 1972, 1973 and 1974 seasons as a member of the Giants. He won the 1987 Willie Mac Award 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 on October 29, 2007, as an infield coach and also serves as the Reds' bench coach.

Personal life

Speier is the father of former MLB relief pitcher 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.^[2] 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.

See also

• Hitting for the cycle

References

1. ^ "Manager & Coaches: Chris Speier". http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=cin&coachorstaffid=122573. Retrieved 2010-02-11. 
2. ^ Dave Walker (1993-02-17). "Good Book Great Booksshortstop Turned Principal Chris Speier Still Believes in Fundamentals". Poenix New Times News. http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1993-02-17/news/good-book-great-booksshortstop-turned-principal-chris-speier-still-believes-in-fundamentals/1. 

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Preceded by Mike Krukow	Willie Mac Award 1987	Succeeded by José Uribe
Preceded by Wendell Kim	Chicago Cubs third base coach 2005-2006	Succeeded by Mike Quade

Persondata
Name	Speier, Chris
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 28, 1950
Place of birth	Alameda, California
Date of death
Place of death