Chris Speier

American baseball player and coach (born 1950)

Christopher Edward Speier (born June 28, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop, most notably for the San Francisco Giants and the Montreal Expos. He is known by the nickname "the Alameda Rifle" as a native of the San Francisco Bay Area city who possessed a strong arm during his days as an active player.

Speier was drafted by the Giants as the second overall pick in the first round of 1970 Major League Baseball draft. 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. In an exchange of starting shortstops, he was traded from the Giants to the Expos for Tim Foli on April 26, 1977. Speier accrued a career .246 batting average and a .970 fielding percentage at shortstop. His overall playing strengths were his solid fielding and selective eye at the plate. He was also named to the National League All Star team during the 1972, 1973 and 1974 seasons as a member of the Giants. Speier won the 1987 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership during his second time with the Giants. He hit for the cycle twice in his major league career, on July 20, 1978, as a member of the Montreal Expos in a 7 3 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Montreal and nearly 10 years later on July 9, 1988, as a member of the San Francisco Giants in a 21 2 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals at Candlestick Park.

YearsGamesPAABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSOAVGOBPSLGFLD%19226081557156770175930250112720847988.246.327.349.971
Speier also played 185 games at third base, 138 games at second base and 2 games at first base. In the post season covering 17 games (1971,1981,1987 NLCS) he batted .280 (14 for 50) with 8 runs, 1 home run and 4 RBI.

Speier was born and raised in Alameda, California, also the hometown of Major Leaguers Willie Stargell, Dontrelle Willis and Jimmy Rollins. He graduated from Alameda High School. Speier is the father of former MLB relief pitcher Justin Speier and the uncle of Gabe Speier. Speier converted to Catholicism after meeting his now ex 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.