How much is Tris Speaker worth?
| Net Worth: | $5 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Baseball Player |
| Date of Birth: | April 4, 1888 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 1.82 m |
About Tris Speaker
In 1906, Doak Roberts, owner of the Cleburne Railroaders of the Texas League, became intrigued with Speaker. Speaker changed positions after suffering several defeats as a pitcher in order to take the place of a Cleburne player who had been hit in the head by a pitch. For the Railroaders, he batted.318. Speaker’s mother was against his playing in the professional leagues because she felt they were similar to slavery. Even after giving in, Mrs. Speaker persisted in wondering for a while why her son did not remain at home and pursue a career in the cattle or oil industries.
- Born: April 4, 1888
- Hometown: Hubbard, Texas
- Died: Dec. 8, 1958
- Height: 5-11
- Weight: 193 pounds
- Bats: Left
- Throws: Left
- Family: Wife, Mary
- Primary position: Center fielder
In 1909, Speaker replaced light-hitting Denny Sullivan as Boston’s regular starting center fielder, and Sullivan was sent to the Cleveland Naps. As the squad ended third in the championship race, Speaker hit.309 in 143 games. Speaker ranked third among outfielders in terms of fielding percentage (.973) and was engaged in 12 double plays, which led the league among outfielders. The Red Sox acquired left fielder Duffy Lewis in 1910.
Ahead of the Bigs:
He was born right-handed, but he learned to toss and bat left after breaking his right arm when he fell off a horse as a boy.
pitched for two semipro teams and the Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute in 1905.
was hired by the Texas League in 1906 for $65 a month, but his pitching career was a failure. When he hit.314 in 1907 for Class C Houston of the Texas League, the Boston Red Sox bought his contract. Late in the season, he played in seven games for the Red Sox, but he did not perform well.
was transferred to Little Rock of the Southern Association as payment for the spring training field’s rental, with the option to repurchase Speaker, while attending spring training with the Red Sox. Then, while playing for Little Rock, he hit.350 with 10 triples, swiped 28 bases, and developed into a superb center fielder who was renowned for playing shallow and denying hits. In 1908, it was bought back by Boston.
Professional Highlights:
In his 22-year big-league career, he batted.345 to rank sixth in baseball history and was one of the best center fielders of all time. He currently has the fifth-most career hits overall as of 2013.
won three World Series titles: one with Cleveland (1912) and two with Boston (1915). (1920).
played center field so shallowly and quickly that he frequently caught low line drives while running, turning double plays by tagging second base to double up a runner.
He was credited as a manager with developing the platoon system, which paired right-handed hitters with left-handed pitchers and vice versa.
commenced his 10-season streak of hitting in 1909, the year he was named the Red Sox’s regular center fielder.
a 300 or higher.
In 1911, when he hit.334 with eight home runs and 70 RBI, he finished sixth in the MVP voting.
.383 batting average, a league-best 10 home runs, 90 RBI, and a career-high 52 stolen bases helped him win his only MVP award in 1912. A critical hit in the eighth and decisive game of the World Series helped the Red Sox defeat the New York Giants in eight games while batting.300 with two triples.
was a teammate of Babe Ruth, a young pitcher, and hit.322 in 1915, the year the Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in five games in the World Series.
Speaker was dealt to the Cleveland Indians when the Red Sox demanded that he accept a pay cut from $15,000 to $9,000 per year.
won his sole batting title in 1916, interrupting Ty Cobb’s streak of nine straight titles by hitting a league-best.386 with 79 RBI for the Indians. He had two “off” seasons (.318 and.296) after hitting.352 in 1916 before making a comeback.
became the player-manager for the 1920 World Series champion Indians, hitting.388 with eight home runs and 107 RBI. In a seven-game series against the Brooklyn Robins, he hit.320 and added an RBI triple.
In each of the following five seasons, he hit above.344; in 1923, at age 35, he hit.380 with 17 home runs and 130 RBI.
On May 17, 1925, he hit his 3,000th ball, a single against the Washington Senators.
resigned as manager in the wake of the 1926 controversy in which pitcher Dutch Leonard accused Cobb, the manager of the Tigers at the time, and Speaker of rigging a game. Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis cleared Speaker and Cobb, but Speaker never went back to manage.
When he teamed up with a part-time player for Connie Mack and the Philadelphia A’s in 1928, age 41-year-old Cobb, who had hit.327 with the Washington Senators in 1927, and.267 in 60 games at age 40. Cobb continued to play for another season, but Speaker ended his career in the major leagues after the 1927 campaign.
Following Retirement:
82.1% of the vote, in the second year of the Hall of Fame’s existence, led to their election.
was the manager and part-time player for the International League’s Newark Bears in 1928 and 1929.
Between 1936 through 1943, he served as the chairman of Cleveland’s boxing commission. He also started a wholesale liquor company and worked as a sales agent for a steel company.
was the National Indoor Baseball League’s president in 1939, but the league folded after just two months.
The Cleveland Society for Crippled Children’s founders.
worked in a variety of positions with the Indians from 1947 till his death.
died of a heart attack at the age of 70 while angling on Texas’ Lake Whitney.
