TRIS SPEAKER

Tris Speaker, a .345 lifetime hitter, was the best outfielder of the Dead Ball Era and one of the very few players to rival Ty Cobb as the greatest player of that period. Speaker excelled at hitting doubles, leading the American League eight times. In 1916, he hit .386, breaking Cobb’s stranglehold on the batting title. He still holds the career mark for doubles with 793. Defensively, Speaker revolutionized the outfield position by playing shallow and racing back to snag fly balls. He played so close to second base that he made two unassisted double plays one year. His shallow positioning allowed Speaker to record 450 assists, placing him atop the all-time list. One of baseball’s most successful player-managers, he guided Cleveland to a World Championship in 1920.

G2789 AB10195 R1882 H3514 2B792 3B222 HR117 RBI1531 AVE.345

Text and images courtesy of Dick Perez’s The Immortals - An Art Collection of Baseball’s Best