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{{short description|American baseball player and coach (born 1950)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name = Chris Speier
|image = 2013 05 18 061 Reds Chris Speier.jpg
|caption = Speier as a Cincinnati Reds coach in 2013
|team =
|number =
|position = [[Shortstop]]
|bats = Right
|throws = Right
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|6|28}}
|birth_place = [[Alameda, California]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate = April 7
|debutyear = 1971
|debutteam = San Francisco Giants
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate = October 1
|finalyear = 1989
|finalteam = San Francisco Giants
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label = [[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value = .246
|stat2label = [[Home run]]s
|stat2value = 112
|stat3label = [[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value = 720
|teams =
'''As player'''
* [[San Francisco Giants]] ({{mlby|1971}}–{{mlby|1977}})
* [[Montreal Expos]] ({{mlby|1977}}–{{mlby|1984}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1984}})
* [[Minnesota Twins]] ({{mlby|1984}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1985}}–{{mlby|1986}})
* [[San Francisco Giants]] ({{mlby|1987}}–{{mlby|1989}})
'''As coach'''
*[[Milwaukee Brewers]] ({{mlby|2000}})
*[[Arizona Diamondbacks]] ({{mlby|2001}})
*[[Oakland Athletics]] ({{mlby|2004}})
*[[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|2005}}–{{mlby|2006}})
*[[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|2008}}–{{mlby|2013}})
*[[Washington Nationals]] ({{mlby|2016}}–{{mlby|2017}})
*[[Houston Astros]] ({{mlby|2020}})
|highlights=
* 3× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1972 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1972]]–[[1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1974]])
* [[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|2001}})
* [[San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame]]
* [[Montreal Expos#Montreal Expos Hall of Fame|Montreal Expos Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''Christopher Edward Speier''' (born June 28, 1950) is an [[Americans|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, California|Alameda]] Rifle'''" as a native of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] city who possessed a strong arm during his days as an active player.<ref>[https://www.sfgate.com/giants/shea/article/Reds-Speier-bonds-with-Giants-Crawford-3937721.php Shea, John. "Reds' Speier bonds with Giants' Crawford," ''San Francisco Chronicle'', Thursday, October 11, 2012.] Retrieved October 23, 2020</ref>
==Playing career==
[[File:SFG1976H35SPEIER.jpg|thumb|left|1976 San Francisco Giants #35 Chris Speier home jersey]]Speier was drafted by the Giants as the second overall pick in the first round of [[1970 Major League Baseball draft]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/draft/research.asp?Q=Y&Y1=1970&Y2=1970&R=1&PID=18293 |title=1970 Major League Baseball Draft |publisher=thebaseballcube.com |accessdate=30 August 2018 }}</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/27/archives/speier-of-giants-traded-to-the-expos-for-foli.html "Speier of Giants Traded To the Expos for Foli," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Tuesday, April 26, 1977.] Retrieved October 23, 2020</ref>
Speier accrued a career .246 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] and a .970 [[fielding percentage]] at shortstop. His overall playing strengths were solid fielding and a selective eye at the plate. He was also named to the [[National League (baseball)|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 (baseball)|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]].
==Coaching career==
{{prose|section|date=March 2021}}
2000 [[Milwaukee Brewers]] Third Base Coach Wearing #43
2001 [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] Third Base Coach Wearing #35
2004 [[Oakland Athletics]] Bench Coach Wearing #46
2005-2006 [[Chicago Cubs]] Third Base Coach Wearing #35
2008-2013 [[Cincinnati Reds]] bench coach wearing #35/interim third base coach in 2013 when [[Mark Berry (baseball)|Mark Berry]] was receiving treatment for throat cancer
2016-2017 [[Washington Nationals]] Bench Coach Wearing #35
2020 [[Houston Astros]] Quality Control Coach Wearing #36
Speier 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.
Speier was signed by the [[Cincinnati Reds]] on October 29, 2007, as an [[infield]] coach and served as the Reds' [[bench coach]]. He also filled in when manager [[Dusty Baker]] was hospitalized in Chicago in September 2012 – this was when they clinched a playoff berth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120920&content_id=38724066&vkey=news_cin&c_id=cin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922093417/http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120920&content_id=38724066&vkey=news_cin&c_id=cin|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 22, 2012|title=Baker stays in Chicago hospital to receive fluids|publisher=www.Reds.com|accessdate=September 22, 2012}}</ref> He was replaced as the bench coach by [[Jay Bell]] when Baker was fired, but stayed on in the Reds organization as a Special Assistant to General Manager [[Walt Jocketty]].
When Baker became the manager of the [[Washington Nationals]] before the 2016 season, Speier was named bench coach; his contract expired after the 2017 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/10/dusty-baker-will-not-return-as-nationals-manager-in-2018.html|title=Dusty Baker Will Not Return As Nationals' Manager In 2018|work=MLB Trade Rumors|date=October 20, 2017|accessdate=October 20, 2017|first=Steve|last=Adams}}</ref>
==Career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|Years
|Games
|[[Plate appearances|PA]]
|[[At bat|AB]]
|[[Run (baseball)|R]]
|[[Hit (baseball)|H]]
|[[Double (baseball)|2B]]
|[[Triple (baseball)|3B]]
|[[Home runs|HR]]
|[[Runs batted in|RBI]]
|[[Base on balls|BB]]
|[[Strikeouts|SO]]
|[[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]]
|[[On-base percentage|OBP]]
|[[Slugging percentage|SLG]]
|[[Fielding percentage|FLD%]]
|-
|19
|2260
|8155
|7156
|770
|1759
|302
|50
|112
|720
|847
|988
|.246
|.327
|.349
|.971
|}
Speier also played 185 games at third base, 138 at second base, and 2 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.
==Personal life==
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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1993-02-17/news/good-book-great-booksshortstop-turned-principal-chris-speier-still-believes-in-fundamentals/1|title=Good Book Great Books Shortstop Turned Principal Chris Speier Still Believes in Fundamentals|publisher=Phfoenix New Times News|author=Dave Walker|date=February 17, 1993}}</ref> The school was not accredited by the state nor was it affiliated with the local diocese.
==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite web |url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5c13230b |title=Chris Speier |first=Norm |last=King |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]]}}
==External links==
{{baseballstats|mlb=122573|espn=273|br=s/speiech01|fangraphs=1012316|brm=speier001chr|retro=S/Pspeic001}}
* [https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5c13230b Chris Speier] at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{succession box| before = [[Andre Thornton]]<br>[[Robin Yount]] | title = [[Hitting for the cycle]]| years = July 20, 1978<br>July 9, 1988 | after = [[Mike Cubbage]]<br>[[Mike Greenwell]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Willie Mac Award]]|before=[[Mike Krukow]]|years=1987|after=[[José Uribe]]}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box | before = [[Wendell Kim]] | title = [[Chicago Cubs]] third base coach| years = 2005–2006 | after = [[Mike Quade]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{2001 Arizona Diamondbacks}}
{{San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Speier, Chris}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
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[[Category:
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[[Category:Houston Astros coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball bench coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball shortstops]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball third base coaches]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Brewers coaches]]
[[Category:Minnesota Twins players]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:Montreal Expos players]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Alameda, California]]
[[Category:Phoenix Firebirds players]]
[[Category:San Francisco Giants players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball players]]
[[Category:Washington Nationals coaches]]
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