Tris Speaker was born on Wednesday, April 4, 1888, in Hubbard, Texas. Speaker was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 14, 1907, with the Boston Americans. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Tris Speaker baseball stats page.
"But for all his offensive prowess, it was (Tris) Speaker's superb play as a centerfielder that gained him the greatest accolades from contemporaries and in the reminiscences of aging ballplayers, fans, and sportswriters. In 1915 Damon Runyon of the New York American proclaimed that 'For years and years to come we will be contemplating the possibilities of a human being who could field and throw like Speaker.' That same year Hugh Fullerton of the Chicago Herald and Examiner estimated that Speaker saved his pitchers about a run and a half per game. Eleven years later, when it seemed (prematurely) that Speaker's playing days were over, his friend Joe Williams of the Cleveland Press wrote, 'Inevitably all outfield stars will be compared to Speaker and inevitably all will suffer.' One of his old Boston Red Sox teammates remembered that on balls hit over his head, 'He'd turn and run - and you'd think he had a radar or magnet or something because just at the proper time he'd turn his head and catch the ball over his shoulder.' Joe Sewell, who played with and for player-manager Speaker for seven years, beginning in 1920, remarked that he had watched outstanding centerfielders such as Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, and Mickey Mantle, but 'Nobody could play centerfield like Speaker.'" -- Author Charles C. Alexander in Spoke: A Biography of Tris Speaker (Southern Methodist University Publishing, 2007, Page 12) [Tris Speaker Quotes]
Tris Speaker |
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Tris SpeakerTris Speaker Pitching Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
| 1914 | 26 | Red Sox | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
| 1 Year | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | ||
Tris SpeakerTris Speaker Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1907 | 19 | Americans | 7 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | 4 | 0 | - | 0 | - | .158 | .200 | .158 |
| 1908 | 20 | Red Sox | 31 | 116 | 12 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | - | 8 | 3 | - | 2 | - | .224 | .262 | .276 |
| 1909 | 21 | Red Sox | 143 | 544 | 73 | 168 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 77 | 38 | - | 53 | 17 | - | 7 | - | .309 | .362 | .443 |
| 1910 | 22 | Red Sox | 141 | 538 | 92 | 183 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 65 | 52 | - | 38 | 12 | - | 6 | - | .340 | .404 | .468 |
| 1911 | 23 | Red Sox | 141 | 500 | 88 | 167 | 34 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 70 | 59 | - | 34 | 17 | - | 13 | - | .334 | .418 | .502 |
| 1912 | 24 | Red Sox | 153 | 580 | 136 | 222 | 53 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 90 | 82 | - | 36 | 7 | - | 6 | - | .383 | .464 | .567 |
| 1913 | 25 | Red Sox | 141 | 520 | 94 | 189 | 35 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 71 | 65 | - | 22 | 16 | - | 7 | - | .363 | .441 | .533 |
| 1914 | 26 | Red Sox | 158 | 571 | 101 | 193 | 46 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 90 | 77 | - | 25 | 13 | - | 7 | - | .338 | .423 | .503 |
| 1915 | 27 | Red Sox | 150 | 547 | 108 | 176 | 25 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 81 | - | 14 | 17 | - | 7 | - | .322 | .416 | .411 |
| 1916 | 28 | Indians | 151 | 546 | 102 | 211 | 41 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 79 | 82 | - | 20 | 15 | - | 4 | - | .386 | .470 | .502 |
| 1917 | 29 | Indians | 142 | 523 | 90 | 184 | 42 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 67 | - | 14 | 15 | - | 7 | - | .352 | .432 | .486 |
| 1918 | 30 | Indians | 127 | 471 | 73 | 150 | 33 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 64 | - | 9 | 11 | - | 3 | - | .318 | .403 | .435 |
| 1919 | 31 | Indians | 134 | 494 | 83 | 146 | 38 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 73 | - | 12 | 20 | - | 8 | - | .296 | .395 | .433 |
| 1920 | 32 | Indians | 150 | 552 | 137 | 214 | 50 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 107 | 97 | - | 13 | 20 | - | 5 | - | .388 | .483 | .562 |
| 1921 | 33 | Indians | 132 | 506 | 107 | 183 | 52 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 75 | 68 | - | 12 | 12 | - | 2 | - | .362 | .439 | .538 |
| 1922 | 34 | Indians | 131 | 426 | 85 | 161 | 48 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 71 | 77 | - | 11 | 12 | - | 1 | - | .378 | .474 | .606 |
| 1923 | 35 | Indians | 150 | 574 | 133 | 218 | 59 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 130 | 93 | - | 15 | 22 | - | 4 | - | .380 | .469 | .610 |
| 1924 | 36 | Indians | 135 | 486 | 94 | 167 | 36 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 65 | 72 | - | 13 | 13 | - | 4 | - | .344 | .432 | .510 |
| 1925 | 37 | Indians | 117 | 429 | 79 | 167 | 35 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 87 | 70 | - | 12 | 15 | - | 4 | - | .389 | .479 | .578 |
| 1926 | 38 | Indians | 150 | 539 | 96 | 164 | 52 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 86 | 94 | - | 15 | 28 | - | 0 | - | .304 | .408 | .469 |
| 1927 | 39 | Senators | 141 | 523 | 71 | 171 | 43 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 73 | 55 | - | 8 | 15 | - | 4 | - | .327 | .395 | .444 |
| 1928 | 40 | Athletics | 64 | 191 | 28 | 51 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 10 | - | 5 | 9 | - | 2 | - | .267 | .310 | .450 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 22 Years | 2,789 | 10,195 | 1,882 | 3,514 | 792 | 222 | 117 | 4 | 1,529 | 1,381 | - | 393 | 309 | - | 103 | - | .345 | .428 | .500 | ||
Tris SpeakerTris Speaker Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1907 Americans | RF | 4 | - | - | 6 | 1.5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1908 Red Sox | OF | 31 | - | - | 67 | 2.2 | 67 | 58 | 9 | 0 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1909 Red Sox | CF | 142 | - | - | 364 | 2.6 | 354 | 319 | 35 | 10 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 0.00 |
| 1910 Red Sox | CF | 140 | - | - | 373 | 2.7 | 357 | 337 | 20 | 16 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .957 | 0.00 |
| 1911 Red Sox | CF | 138 | - | - | 338 | 2.4 | 323 | 297 | 26 | 15 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .956 | 0.00 |
| 1912 Red Sox | CF | 153 | - | - | 425 | 2.8 | 407 | 372 | 35 | 18 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .958 | 0.00 |
| 1913 Red Sox | CF | 139 | - | - | 429 | 3.1 | 404 | 374 | 30 | 25 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .942 | 0.00 |
| 1914 Red Sox | 1B | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 7.71 |
| 1914 Red Sox | CF | 157 | 157 | 3,874 | 467 | 3.0 | 452 | 423 | 29 | 15 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 3.15 |
| 1914 Red Sox | P | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
| 1915 Red Sox | CF | 150 | 149 | 3,819 | 409 | 2.7 | 399 | 378 | 21 | 10 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .976 | 2.82 |
| 1915 Red Sox | RF | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1916 Indians | CF | 151 | 151 | 4,323 | 394 | 2.6 | 384 | 359 | 25 | 10 | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .975 | 2.40 |
| 1917 Indians | CF | 142 | 142 | 3,732 | 396 | 2.8 | 388 | 365 | 23 | 8 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .980 | 2.81 |
| 1918 Indians | CF | 127 | 1 | 369 | 377 | 3.0 | 367 | 352 | 15 | 10 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 26.85 |
| 1919 Indians | CF | 134 | 134 | 3,417 | 407 | 3.0 | 400 | 375 | 25 | 7 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 3.16 |
| 1920 Indians | CF | 148 | 146 | 3,756 | 396 | 2.7 | 387 | 363 | 24 | 9 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 2.78 |
| 1921 Indians | CF | 128 | 128 | 3,072 | 366 | 2.9 | 360 | 345 | 15 | 6 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 3.16 |
| 1922 Indians | CF | 109 | 109 | 2,664 | 299 | 2.7 | 294 | 281 | 13 | 5 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 2.98 |
| 1923 Indians | CF | 150 | 150 | 4,263 | 408 | 2.7 | 395 | 369 | 26 | 13 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 2.50 |
| 1924 Indians | CF | 127 | 126 | 3,138 | 356 | 2.8 | 342 | 323 | 20 | 13 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .963 | 2.95 |
| 1925 Indians | CF | 109 | 109 | 2,811 | 338 | 3.1 | 327 | 311 | 16 | 11 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 3.14 |
| 1926 Indians | CF | 149 | 148 | 4,323 | 422 | 2.8 | 414 | 394 | 20 | 8 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .981 | 2.59 |
| 1927 Senators | 1B | 17 | 15 | 384 | 159 | 9.4 | 157 | 145 | 12 | 2 | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 11.04 |
| 1927 Senators | CF | 119 | 119 | 2,967 | 300 | 2.5 | 290 | 278 | 12 | 10 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 2.64 |
| 1927 Senators | RF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1928 Athletics | CF | 48 | 43 | 1,092 | 121 | 2.5 | 118 | 110 | 8 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .975 | 2.92 |
| 1928 Athletics | LF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| CF Totals | 2,660 | 1,812 | 47,620 | 7,385 | 2.8 | 7,162 | 6,725 | 438 | 222 | 135 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .970 | 4.06 | |
| OF Totals | 31 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 2.2 | 67 | 58 | 9 | 0 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 | |
| 1B Totals | 18 | 15 | 391 | 161 | 8.9 | 159 | 147 | 12 | 2 | 19 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 10.98 | |
| RF Totals | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1.0 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 32.40 | |
| P Totals | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 | |
| LF Totals | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 | |
| 22 Years | 2,717 | 1,828 | 48,022 | 7,621 | 2.8 | 7,396 | 6,935 | 462 | 224 | 159 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .971 | 4.16 | |
Tris SpeakerTris Speaker Miscellaneous Stats |
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| Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
| Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 1907 Americans | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.8 | 19.0 | - | - | - |
| 1908 Red Sox | 3 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 14.5 | 12.9 | - | - | - |
| 1909 Red Sox | 35 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 77.7 | 10.3 | 7.1 | - | - | - |
| 1910 Red Sox | 35 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 76.9 | 14.2 | 8.3 | - | - | - |
| 1911 Red Sox | 25 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 62.5 | 14.7 | 7.1 | - | - | - |
| 1912 Red Sox | 52 | 28 | .650 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 58.0 | 16.1 | 6.4 | - | - | - |
| 1913 Red Sox | 46 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 173.3 | 23.6 | 7.3 | - | - | - |
| 1914 Red Sox | 42 | 29 | .592 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 142.8 | 22.8 | 6.3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 1915 Red Sox | 29 | 25 | .537 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 39.1 | 7.9 | - | - | - |
| 1916 Indians | 35 | 27 | .565 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 273.0 | 27.3 | 6.9 | - | - | - |
| 1917 Indians | 30 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 261.5 | 37.4 | 8.7 | - | - | - |
| 1918 Indians | 27 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 52.3 | 7.7 | - | - | - |
| 1919 Indians | 15 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 247.0 | 41.2 | 7.8 | - | - | - |
| 1920 Indians | 10 | 13 | .435 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 69.0 | 42.5 | 5.2 | - | - | - |
| 1921 Indians | 2 | 4 | .333 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 168.7 | 42.2 | 6.7 | - | - | - |
| 1922 Indians | 8 | 3 | .727 | 22 | 0 | n/a | 38.7 | 38.7 | 6.0 | - | - | - |
| 1923 Indians | 8 | 9 | .471 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 33.8 | 38.3 | 4.4 | - | - | - |
| 1924 Indians | 5 | 7 | .417 | 8 | 1 | n/a | 54.0 | 37.4 | 7.5 | - | - | - |
| 1925 Indians | 5 | 2 | .714 | 7 | 1 | n/a | 35.8 | 35.8 | 4.9 | - | - | - |
| 1926 Indians | 6 | 1 | .857 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 77.0 | 35.9 | 6.3 | - | - | - |
| 1927 Senators | 9 | 8 | .529 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 261.5 | 65.4 | 7.2 | - | - | - |
| 1928 Athletics | 5 | 1 | .833 | 14 | 0 | n/a | 63.7 | 38.2 | 6.4 | - | - | - |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 22 Years | 432 | 157 | .733 | 62 | 2 | n/a | 87.1 | 25.9 | 6.7 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Tris SpeakerTris Speaker Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1907 Boston Americans | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1908 Boston Red Sox | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1909 Boston Red Sox | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1910 Boston Red Sox | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1911 Boston Red Sox | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1912 Boston Red Sox | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | Stats |
| 1913 Boston Red Sox | n/a | $9,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1914 Boston Red Sox | n/a | $17,500.00 | n/a | - |
| 1915 Boston Red Sox | n/a | $17,500.00 | n/a | Stats |
| 1916 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $15,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1917 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $15,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1918 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $15,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1919 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $18,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1920 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $20,000.00 | n/a | Stats |
| 1921 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $25,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1922 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $30,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1923 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $30,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1924 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $30,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1925 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $30,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1926 Cleveland Indians | n/a | $30,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1927 Washington Senators | n/a | $30,000.00 | n/a | - |
| 1928 Philadelphia Athletics | n/a | $15,000.00 | n/a | - |
| Tris Speaker Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

Tristram Edgar Speaker was a Major League Baseball player for the Boston Americans (1907), Boston Red Sox (1908), Cleveland Indians (1916-1926), Washington Senators (1927) and Philadelphia Athletics (1928). The Grey Eagle, his nickname, is widely considered one of greatest defensive and offensive center fielders in baseball history - the glove he wore was actually referred to as the place "where triples go to die!"
Tris Speaker - offensively speaking - was a home run champion (1912), games played leader (1914), batting champion (1916), singles leader (1916), slugging percentage leader (1916), RBIs leader (1923), hits leader (1914, 1916), extra base hits leader (1912, 1914), on base percentage leader (1912, 1916, 1922, 1925), doubles leader (1912, 1914, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923).
Tris Speaker - defensively speaking - led the league in games played in centerfield (1909, 1914, 1916, 1918, 1923, 1926), recorded the most putouts by a centerfielder (1909, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1919), had the most assists by a centerfielder (1909, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1923, 1924, 1926), and turned the most double plays by a center fielder (1909, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926). He also led center fielders in errors committed twice (1913, 1924), but his fielding percentage was also tops amongst centerfielders (1909, 1912, 1915, 1919, 1921, 1922, 1926).
Tris Speaker first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1936, but only 58.8% of the writers chose to vote for him (?). A year later, he was rightfully inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1883, Francis Richter founded The Sporting Life, a weekly magazine devoted to coverage of all sports, with an emphasis on baseball. In 1887, Richter, and other baseball journalists, formed the Base Ball Reporters Association of America, also referred to as the National Base Ball Reporters' Association. And in 1914, Richter wrote the History and Records of Baseball: the American Nation's Chief Sport (Philadelphia: Sporting Life Publishing Co., 1914). In that historic book, Richter selected the greatest players in each position in each decade:
Did you know that Tris Speaker was named one of the 100 Greatest Cleveland Indians Players ever? As part of the club’s 100th Anniversary Celebration in 2001, a panel of veteran baseball writers, historians and executives selected a roster of the Top 100 Greatest Indians and Speaker was named one of the twenty-three outfielders.