Happy Birthday Tris Speaker

               Happy Birthday to the late and great Tris Speaker, It's a shame many people need to remember who Tris Speaker is. Tris Speaker played for four teams the Boston Red Sox (1907-1915); Cleveland Indians (1916-1926); Washington Senators (1927), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1928). For those who don't know, here are his lifetime statistics…

Tris Speaker (1907-1925):

.345 BA, 3,514 HITS, 117 HR, 1,531 RBI, 1,882 RUNS, 792 2B, 222 3B, .428 OBP

• 3x World Series Champion

• 1912 MVP (.383 BA, 222 HITS, 10 HR, 90 RBI, 53 2B, 136 RUNS, .464 OBP)

• AL Batting Champion 1916

• 449 All-Time leaders in Assists among Outfielders

He still holds the All-time career record in Doubles with 792. He played in the Dead-Ball Era with the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians and was rivals with Ty Cobb as the best Center Fielder of that era. While Cobb was the better hitter, Speaker was the better fielder. Besides being a great contact hitter who can drive a ball into gaps down the line. His fellow players praised his speed, range, and arm while playing a shallow Centerfield. In 1912, he won the MVP as he and the Red Sox would win the World Series. In 1915, his final season with the Sox, he'd win the World Series again. In 1920 his first entire season as the Indians Player/Manager, they'd go on to win the World Series.

Tris Speaker was a winning ball player. Besides Willie Mays, he is arguably the greatest all-around Center Fielder who ever played the game of baseball. There are Hall of Famers, but when it comes to Tris Speaker, he's in what I like to call "The Hall of Fame Exclusive." Now you all know who Tris Speaker is, DON'T FORGET!!!!!!

Written & Published by Robert Dobek

Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee

References:

1. Tris Speakers' Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/speaktr01.shtml

     2.  Lingo, Will. The NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL of FAME ALMANAC: (2017 Edition): pgs: (434-435)