Tris Speaker

⭐ Hall of Fame 1937

Born: 4/4/1888 in Hubbard, TX, USA

Died: 12/8/1958 in Lake Whitney, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1907-09-12 | Final Game: 1928-08-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 193 lbs

Full name: Tristram Edgar Speaker

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Biography

Tris Speaker was a legendary American baseball player, born in 1888, who made a significant impact on the game during his career from 1907 to 1928. Renowned for his exceptional hitting ability and defensive prowess, Speaker played in 2,789 games, accumulating a remarkable 3,514 hits and achieving a stellar career batting average of .345. His offensive contributions included 117 home runs and 1,529 RBIs, alongside a notable total of 432 stolen bases, showcasing his versatility as a player. Speaker's combination of power, speed, and batting precision placed him among the elite hitters of his era, which was characterized by a transition from the deadball style to a more offensive-minded approach. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937, Speaker's legacy extended beyond his impressive statistics. He was a pioneering figure in the game, known for his keen baseball intelligence and leadership on the field. His career coincided with a transformative period in baseball, and he played a crucial role in popularizing the sport during the early 20th century. Speaker's influence was not only felt through his on-field achievements but also through his contributions as a manager and mentor to younger players, ensuring that his impact on baseball would be felt for generations to come.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2789 10195 1882 3514 792 222 117 1529 432 1381 393 0.345 0.428 0.500 0.928 73228.9

Career AVG .345 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — +29.2% above league average.

Career OBP .428 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +29.6% above league average.

Career SLG .500 vs. league average .360 across their career seasons — +39.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.928 vs. league average 0.690 across their career seasons — +34.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1907 BOS AL 7 19 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1908 BOS AL 31 116 12 26 2 2 0 9 3 4 8 0.224 .240 (-7%) .298 (-12%) .306 (-10%) .605 (-11%) -203.1
1909 BOS AL 143 544 73 168 26 13 7 77 35 38 53 0.309 .244 (+26%) .306 (+18%) .312 (+42%) .618 (+30%) 2775.1
1910 BOS AL 141 538 92 183 20 14 7 65 35 52 38 0.340 .249 (+36%) .317 (+27%) .326 (+43%) .644 (+35%) 3562.6
1911 BOS AL 141 500 88 167 34 13 8 70 25 59 34 0.334 .266 (+25%) .336 (+24%) .356 (+41%) .693 (+33%) 3364.5
1912 BOS AL 153 580 136 222 53 12 10 90 52 82 36 0.383 .268 (+42%) .335 (+38%) .358 (+58%) .694 (+49%) 5848.1
1913 BOS AL 141 520 94 189 35 22 3 71 46 65 22 0.363 .259 (+40%) .325 (+36%) .345 (+54%) .670 (+45%) 4615.9
1914 BOS AL 158 571 101 193 46 18 4 90 42 77 25 0.338 .255 (+32%) .322 (+31%) .339 (+48%) .661 (+40%) 4472.3
1915 BOS AL 150 547 108 176 25 12 0 69 29 81 14 0.322 .250 (+28%) .318 (+31%) .332 (+24%) .651 (+27%) 3164.6
1916 CLE AL 151 546 102 211 41 8 2 79 35 82 20 0.386 .248 (+55%) .314 (+50%) .326 (+54%) .640 (+52%) 5666.9
1917 CLE AL 142 523 90 184 42 11 2 60 30 67 14 0.352 .248 (+41%) .312 (+38%) .323 (+50%) .635 (+44%) 4478.4
1918 CLE AL 127 471 73 150 33 11 0 61 27 64 9 0.318 .255 (+25%) .318 (+27%) .326 (+33%) .645 (+30%) 2722.4
1919 CLE AL 134 494 83 146 38 12 2 63 15 73 12 0.296 .262 (+13%) .322 (+22%) .347 (+25%) .670 (+23%) 2445.8
1920 CLE AL 150 552 137 214 50 11 8 107 10 97 13 0.388 .271 (+43%) .331 (+46%) .363 (+55%) .694 (+50%) 6022.4
1921 CLE AL 132 506 107 183 52 14 3 75 2 68 12 0.362 .286 (+26%) .344 (+28%) .395 (+36%) .739 (+32%) 3416.7
1922 CLE AL 131 426 85 161 48 8 11 71 8 77 11 0.378 .285 (+32%) .345 (+37%) .397 (+52%) .743 (+45%) 4206.8
1923 CLE AL 150 574 133 218 59 11 17 130 8 93 15 0.380 .282 (+34%) .344 (+36%) .390 (+56%) .734 (+47%) 5891.6
1924 CLE AL 135 486 94 167 36 9 9 65 5 72 13 0.344 .283 (+21%) .345 (+25%) .389 (+31%) .734 (+28%) 3014.8
1925 CLE AL 117 429 79 167 35 5 12 87 5 70 12 0.389 .288 (+35%) .349 (+37%) .407 (+42%) .756 (+40%) 3791.7
1926 CLE AL 150 539 96 164 52 8 7 86 6 94 15 0.304 .279 (+9%) .345 (+18%) .390 (+20%) .735 (+19%) 2373.2
1927 WSN AL 141 523 71 171 43 6 2 73 9 55 8 0.327 .282 (+16%) .344 (+15%) .392 (+13%) .736 (+14%) 1578.6
1928 PHA AL 64 191 28 51 22 2 3 30 5 10 5 0.267 .280 (-5%) .342 (-9%) .395 (+14%) .737 (+3%) 19.7

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 1 0 0 0 9.00 0

Career ERA 9.00 vs. league average 2.93 across their career seasons — 207.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1914 BOS AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 1 0 0 9.00 — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
20 72 12 22 3 4 0 3 11 4 0.306

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1920 WS CLE 7 25 6 8 2 1 0 1 3 1 0.320
1915 WS BOS 5 17 2 5 0 1 0 0 4 1 0.294
1912 WS BOS 8 30 4 9 1 2 0 2 4 2 0.300

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 18 0 147 12 2 19
OF 2698 317 6788 449 222 139
P 1 0 0 1 0 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1907 BOS OF 4 4 4 2 0 1
1908 BOS OF 31 31 58 9 0 3
1909 BOS OF 142 142 319 35 10 12
1910 BOS OF 140 140 337 20 16 7
1911 BOS OF 138 0 297 26 15 5
1912 BOS OF 153 0 372 35 18 9
1913 BOS OF 139 0 374 30 25 7
1914 BOS 1B 1 0 2 0 0 1
1914 BOS OF 156 0 423 29 15 12
1914 BOS P 1 0 0 1 0 1
1915 BOS OF 150 0 378 21 10 8
1916 CLE OF 151 0 359 25 10 10
1917 CLE OF 142 0 365 23 8 5
1918 CLE OF 127 0 352 15 10 6
1919 CLE OF 134 0 375 25 7 6
1920 CLE OF 148 0 363 24 9 8
1921 CLE OF 128 0 345 15 6 2
1922 CLE OF 109 0 281 13 5 6
1923 CLE OF 150 0 369 26 13 7
1924 CLE OF 128 0 323 20 13 3
1925 CLE OF 109 0 311 16 11 9
1926 CLE OF 149 0 394 20 8 7
1927 WS1 1B 17 0 145 12 2 18
1927 WS1 OF 120 0 278 12 10 5
1928 PHA OF 50 0 111 8 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 18
Left Field 2
Center Field 2691
Right Field 7

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1922 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1922 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1920 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1920 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1918 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1918 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1917 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1917 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1916 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1916 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1914 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1914 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1913 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1913 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1912 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1912 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1912 Most Valuable Player
1910 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1910 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth TX 1905

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1914 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 9.0 64 0
1913 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 26.0 64 0
1912 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 59.0 64 0
1911 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 16.0 64 0