Graduated from Brophy College Prep School (AZ) in 1991...attended University of San
Francisco and Nicholls State (LA) University...his father, Chris Speier, is former Major Leaguer and served
as base coach for World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 until retiring after postseason...
Chris Speier played 19 seasons in major leagues, 1971-89, with San Francisco, Montreal, St. Louis,
Minnesota and Chicago-NL.
2009
In his third season with Los Angeles-AL
he went 4-2 with 8 holds and a 5.18 ERA (40.0 ip,
23 er)...began the season on the active roster and
was a member of the club's Major League roster the
entire season prior to being released in early
August...cleared waivers and became a free agent,
though he did not sign with another team following
his release...was at his best in June, as he allowed
just one run and 4 hits in 8.2 innings during the
month...did not have an ERA below five in any of his
four other months with the club...opponents hit just
.277 (44-for-159) against him...he held right-handers
to a .239 (22-for-92) average against, though
left-handers hit .328 (22-for-67)...was most effective against National League opponents in Interleague, as he owned a 1.23 ERA (7.1 ip, 1 er) in 9 games
against the NL...he also struck out 11 wand walked just 2 batters in Interleague play...allowed runs in just
11 of his 41 appearances on the season...allowed multiple runs seven times...allowed a career most 3
home runs, all solo, in one inning of work on 8/7 at TEX, which ended up being his last appearance before
being released...struck out a season best 4 batters in a season most 2.0 scoreless innings on 4/17 at
MIN...earned the victory in back-to-back appearances 5/31 vs. SEA and 6/4 at TOR by tossing a scoreless
inning in each appearance...the Angels went 25-16 in the games that he pitched in.
2008
Struggled in second season with
Angels, going 2-8 with a 5.03 ERA (68 IP - 38 ER) in 62 relief outings...Eight losses
matched career-high (3-8) set in 2004 with Blue Jays...Had a 3.18 ERA in 13 outings in April (11.1 IP - 4 ER)...
Logged a 5.53 ERA in 47 games after April (55.1 IP - 34 ER)...Led Angels' pitching staff with eight wild pitches...
Strikeout of Jack Cust to end game April 30 vs. Oakland was No. 500 for his career...Named Angels' recipient of the
2008 Roberto Clemente Award...Speier was one of 30 Major League Club nominees for the national 2008 Roberto
Clemente Award, which is given annually to the MLB player who combines outstanding skills on the baseball field
with devoted work in the community.
2007
Completed first season with Angels, registering 2-3 record and 2.88 ERA (50 IP - 16 ER) in 51
games...Allowed 36 hits (6 HR), walked 12 and struck out 47...Stranded 30 of 36 inherited runners...
Opponents batted .202 (36/178) against him...Held first batters faced to .167 clip (8/48)...Worked one
scoreless inning (1 H), Aug. 6 vs. Boston to receive first win as an Angel...Posted 1.69 ERA (16 IP - 3 ER)
in 15 games in April and 0.79 ERA (11.1 IP - 1 ER) in 13 Sept. outings...Was 1-2 with a 2.61 ERA at home
and 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA on road...Longest outing was two innings, April 2 vs. Texas (first game as Angel)...
Strikeout high was three, July 14 vs. Texas (1 IP)...Placed on DL May 8 (retroactive to April 30) due
to a non-baseball related medical condition (intestinal infection)...In multiple rehabilitation assignments,
posted a 0-0 record and 0.00 ERA (3 IP) in two starts with Angels' rookie club of Arizona League and a
1-0 record and 3.00 ERA (9 IP - 3 ER) in two stints (8 games, 3 starts) at single-A Rancho Cucamonga...
Activated from DL July 13 (missed 64 games)...Inked four-year deal with Angels on Nov. 19, 2006.
2006
Finished 2-0 with a 2.98 ERA in 58 games. ... Struck out 55 batters in 51 1/3 innings. ... Ranked fifth in the American League with 25 holds. ... Was on the 15-day disabled list from Aug. 9-Sept. 10 due to a right forearm strain.
2005
Was 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 65 appearances...
The 2.57 ERA ranked 12th among AL relievers...
Ranked 5th among AL relievers in baserunners per nine innings
(8.9)... In 66.2IP, struck out 56 batters while walking
just 15... Finished 36 games which ranked 2nd on the team
(Batista-62) and 14th in the AL... Had 11 holds... Was 0-4 in
save opportunities... Stranded 26 of the 34 runners he inherited...
Retired 45 of the 65 first batters he faced... Led the
team in WHIP (0.95)... Led the team in strikeouts per nine innings
(7.56)... Worked 1.0IP or more in 50 of his 65 appearances...
Worked a season high 2.0IP on six different
occasions, posting a 4.50 ERA in those outings... July
15-20, worked in five consecutive games, posting a 0.00
ERA (4.1IP, 3H, 0ER, 2K)... September 11-13 threw in three
consecutive games, posting a 0.00 ERA (2.2IP, 2H, 3K)... In
May, was 0-0 with a 1.08 ERA in eight appearances
(1ER/8.1IP)... In June posted a 1-0 record with a 1.42 ERA in
11 appearances... June 26 at WAS picked up his 1st win of
the season (0.2IP)... Prior to the All-Star Break was 1-1 with a
3.06 ERA in 34 appearances... After the break was 2-1 with
a 2.10 ERA in31 appearances... In July was 0-0 with a 0.68
ERA in 13 appearances... During July had 17 strikeouts
while issuing just two walks... July 15 through August 2 had
a 11.2IP scoreless innings streak (a span of 10 games)...
August 6-23 had seven straight scoreless appearances
(10.1IP)... In September was 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances...
September 24 at NYY made the 400th appearance
of his career... Recorded 18 strikeouts over his last 15
games of 2005... Was 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 35 home appearances...
Was 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA in 30 road appearances...
WHAT THE HITTERS THOUGHT: Held opposing
hitters to a .198 batting average, which led the team and
ranked 8th among AL relievers... Opponents hit just .211
(19-90) with runners on base, which ranked 11th among AL
relievers... Led the team in opponents batting average surrendered
to both LH hitters (.167) and RH hitters (.219)... At
Rogers Centre, opponents batted .209, while on the road
they hit just .185... Surrendered 10 home runs, six to RH hitters.
2004
In his first season with the Blue Jays was
3-8 with a 3.91 ERA in 62 relief appearances... Picked up
seven saves and finished 32 games... Was seven for 11 in
save opportunities... Pitched three consecutive days on
three occasions and posted a combined 2.22 ERA (9.0IP) in
such outings... Made Blue Jays debut on Apr. 5 vs. DET
(0.1IP)... Picked up first Blue Jays win on Apr. 9 at BOS, first
Toronto win of the 2004 season... Recorded his first save as
a Blue Jays on Apr. 13 at DET (1.0IP)... Worked 2.0 or more
innings in six of his outings and posted a 2.08 ERA
(13.0IP)... Worked a season high 3.0 innings on July 21 at
NYY (2H, BB, 3K)... Pitched in 14 and was 1-3 with a 4.32
ERA before going on the disabled list... DL STINT: Was
placed on the disabled on May 11 through June 7 with soreness
in his right elbow... June 5 to June 7 was on was rehab
assignment with Dunedin and appeared in two games
(1ER, 2.0IP)... Missed 25 games while on the DL... Returned
to appear in 14 prior to the break... Finished the first half with
a 2-5 record and a 5.29 ERA in 28 games... From Apr. 17
through June 19 lost a career high five consecutive decisions...
Had a season best 1.80 ERA in the month of August
over 15 outings... Following the All-Star Break appeared in
34 games and posted a 1-3 record with six saves... All six of
his saves in the second half came in the month of September
(seven chances)... Retired 43 of the 63 first batters he
faced... Stranded 16 of the 26 runners he inherited... WHAT
THE HITTERS THOUGHT: Held opponents to a .239 average,
with LH hitters at .258 and RH hitters at .220... Allowed
eight home runs, seven to RH... At home held opponents to
a .181 average, while on the road opponents hit .288.
2003
Proving to be the club's most versatile reliever, Speier even added the "closer" title to his resume in 2003...began the year in his usual setup role but after mid-season struggles from Jose Jimenez, Spy was quickly handed his new job of saving ballgames...appearing in a career-high 75 games, Justin went 3-1 with a 4.05 ERA (73.1 ip, 33 er) and 9 saves in 12 chances...that total certainly would have been higher had he been given more opportunities, as he appeared in only four save situations over the final two months due to the Rockies' late-season struggles...was 6-for-7 in save opps
at Coors Field to go alongside a 1-0 record, 4.57 ERA (41.1 ip, 21 er)...posted a solid 2-1, 3.38 mark on the road (32.0 ip, 12 er), converting 3-of-5 save chances...was a perfect 5-for-5 vs. his own division in the saves category...the Rockies seemed to benefit no matter what role Speier found himself in this season...Colorado was 40-32 when Speier pitched, not bad for a team that finished 14 games under .500...continued his duty as an inherited runners
specialist as well, stranding 23-of-30 inherited baserunners (77%)...since joining the Rockies in 2001, the right-hander has allowed just 17 of his 92 inherited runners to score (18%)...his ERA sat at 3.28 as late as Sept. 16 before giving up 8 earned runs over four appearances Sept. 17-26...walked only 23 (6 intentional) for the year while striking out 66 in 73.1 innings...from May 6 to July 21, Justin did not issue an "un"-intentional walk for 33 straight
appearances covering 35.0 innings...the opposition hit .257 off Speier this season, with lefties batting at a .273 clip (33-for-121) but righties only .245 (40-for-162)...held the league to a .234 average with runners on base (30-for-128)...had 12 relief holds, all occurring before the All-Star Break, and retired 50 of 72 first batters faced (.694)...game time seemed to make a difference to this right-hander, as he posted a 1.96 ERA in 20 day appearances versus
a 5.01 ERA in 52 outings at night...was at his best in the middle months, as Justin owned a combined ERA of 1.73 in June and July (26.0 ip, 5 er)...finished June with a 1.69 ERA (16.0 ip, 3 er), issuing only one intentional walk while striking out 16...posted a 1.80 ERA in July (10.0 ip, 2 er) with only one walk vs. 11 K's...5 of his 9 saves came in July...allowed only 6 runsb5 earnedbover a span of 32.2 innings from May 17 to July 29 (1.38 ERA)...actually retired 27 of 34 batters faced at one point from June 24-July 29 (1 run in 13.1 IP)...the problem was the bookend months, when he had a 5.25 ERA
in April (12.0 ip, 7 er) and a 8.10 ERA in September (10.0 ip, 9 er)...began the year by allowing just 1 hit in his first 13 at-bats against (.077)...right-handers were just 2-for-21 (.095) off Speier to open 2003...gave up 5 runs in .2 IP on April 8 vs. St. Louis, tying the most he's ever allowed in a Rockies uniform (9/18/02 vs. StL)...notched his first win of the season April 12 in San Diego and worked 2.0 scoreless IP to pick up his second 'W' on May 6 at Wrigley...suffered his one and only loss three days later (May 9) in Florida, as he allowed a walkoff home run to Juan Encarnacion in the 11th...that long ball, the first he allowed in 61 at-bats this year...stranded his first 7 inherited runners until allowing a pair to score on May 20 at Los Angeles...it marked the first time Justin had allowed 2 inherited to score off him since June 6, 2001 vs. Houston...suffered his first blown save June 14 at Detroit, allowing a 3-run homer to Eric Munson in the seventh...notched his first save of the year June 18 vs. San Diego, rescuing Jimenez after Jose allowed the first three batters faced to reach base in the ninth...came in for Jimenez again on July 1 vs. Arizona, striking out his only batter faced with two on to preserve a 7-4 victory...was then given a chance to close out his first ballgame on July 4 vs. Milwaukee and responded by retiring the side in order for an 8-6 win...shifted back into a set-up role the very next night, working a scoreless eighth at Miller Park to give Brian Fuentes a save in the ninth...his strong performances
earned him a chance to become Colorado's closer for the remainder of the season...saved back-to-back games July 11-12 vs. Los Angeles...first time in his career he's saved back-to-back contests and first Rockie other than Jimenez to do that since Jay Powell Sept 3-4, 2001...was a perfect 5-for-5 in save opps as the team's closer until Jason LaRue took him deep on the very first pitch in the ninth inning on July 30 at Cincinnati to tie the game 2-2...Rox lost 3-2 in 10 innings...converted his 7th save in 9 chances with a 4-3 win over the Phillies on Aug. 7...it was slim pickings the rest of the way, however, as Justin had only three more save opportunities...suffered his third and final blown save Aug. 21 vs. Florida as Alex Gonzalez led off the ninth with a solo home run to tie the game 4-4...Todd Helton then led off the Rockies half of the ninth with a walkoff homer, handing Speier the win...converted each of his final two save opportunities, a 7-5 win on Sept. 17 vs. Houston and then struck out the side with 2 on and no outs in the ninth inning to
preserve a 10-8 Rockies victory in the final game ever at Qualcomm Stadium (Sept. 28).
2002
Justin Speier in 2002 was the Rockies go-to
guy with runners on base, and the right-hander excelled
better than any reliever in baseball ... Speier stranded a major-league best 33-of-35 (.943) inherited runners ...
that not only led all relievers in 2002 but was the best percentage of any reliever since the statistic
was first recorded in 1987 ... the previous record for a pitcher with at least 30 baserunners was 93.5%
(29/31) by Dennis Eckersley in 1992 ... Justin pitched out of an inherited bases-loaded jam on four occasions,
May 27 at San Diego, June 8 at Toronto, Aug. 12 at Florida -- saving Jason Jennings in what turned
out to be a 1-0 Rockies win -- and on Sept. 14 vs. LA to preserve a 2-1 lead ... stranded 24 consecutive runners
from May 27-Aug. 19 ... when entering a game with at least one inherited runner on, Speier retired 26
of 31 batters faced, allowing just 3 hits in 29 at-bats (.103) with 2 walks ... the league hit .161 (5-for-31) off
Justin with two outs and runners in scoring position, .217 (13-for-60) overall w/RISP ... for the year, the righty
appeared in a career-high 63 games, going 5-1 with a 4.33 ERA (62.1 ip, 30 er) and one save ... the 5 wins
led the Rox relief corps ... ranked second on the team with 18 relief holds, 11 of which came in one of Jose
Jimenez's club-record 41 saves ... retired 47 of 63 first batters faced ... limited righties to a .197 average (26-
for-132) ... was impressive on the road, going 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA (30.0 ip, 7 er) and his lone save ... posted
a 4-1 record with a 6.40 ERA (32.1 ip, 23 er) at Coors Field ... opened the year on the disabled list with
inflammation of the right knee ... placed on the 15-day DL March 31, Speier went on a rehab assignment at
AAA-Colorado Springs before being reinstated May 6 ... joined the club in Montreal and tossed 2.0 scoreless
innings in his 2002 debut May 9 ... allowed just 2 earned runs in 12.0 innings (1.50 ERA) during his first
month of action ... did not allow a hit to a left-hander until May 21 (Kotsay) and lefties went just 1-for-18
(.056) vs. Justin to start the year ... earned his first victory May 21 vs. SD and went on to win his first five
decisions of 2002 ... recorded his first career save May 28 at Qualcomm, getting Deivi Cruz to pop out with
two runners on ... had thrown in 146 games and 204.0 ip as a major leaguer without a save ... yielded just 2
runs in his first 10 appearances and was unscored upon in 22 of his 26 apps at the All-Star Break ... posted
a 9.0 scoreless innings streak to end the first half, June 21-July 5 (9 G, 3 h, 2 BB, 10 K) ... owned a 3.00
ERA (27.0 ip, 9 er) at the break but allowed 21 runs in 35.1 ip (5.35) during the second half ... struck out
career batter No. 200 on July 19 vs. Milwaukee (Ryan Thompson) ... did not give up a home run in 36
appearances from May 17 to Aug. 6 (33.2 ip) ... had that string snapped Aug. 8 vs. Cincinnati and would then
give up 5 HR in his next 11 games ... allowed just his second inherited runner to score on Aug. 24 vs. the
Mets, his first since May 25th ... won his career-high fifth straight decision in his longest outing of the year,
Sept. 15 vs. LA (2.1 ip, 0 h, 0 r) ... yielded a season-high 5 runs in his only loss of 2002, Sept. 18 vs. St.
Louis ... that loss, his first since Sept. 26, 2001.
2001
IN 2001... Speier was 4-3 with a 3.70 ERA (56.0 ip, 23 er) in 42 games and two tours of duty with the Rockies...began the season in Cleveland and was then traded to the New York Mets for a player to be named on May 19...Rockies claimed him off waivers from the Mets on May 29...pitched in nine games before being designated for assignment on June 25...had his contract purchased from AAA on July 22 and the right-hander spent the rest of the season in the big leagues...was the Rockies most effective long man out of the bullpen over the last two months of the year.
- Walked only 12 batters in 56.0 innings...his 1.93 walks-per-nine innings average was third best among National League relievers...the 12 BB was also a career low.
- Tied for seventh among NL relievers in runners allowed / nine innings at 10.3 (64 runners in 56.0 ip).
- He was third on the club in ERA (3.70) and fourth in relief holds (4) and strikeouts per nine ip (7.55).
- His four victories was one shy of his career best of five set in 2000 with the Indians.
- Made his Rockies debut on May 30 at Dodger Stadium, retiring all six batters faced in relief of Mike Hampton.
- Combined with Jason Jennings, Jay Powell and Jose Jimenez for a shutout of the Padres on Oct. 5...it was the first shutout of any kind in his big league career.
- Recorded his first Rockie and NL win on Aug. 17 vs. Florida...pitched 3.1 innings in the victory, giving up just one hit (13 batters).
- Pitched at least a full inning in 33 of 42 games.
- Had a 2.70 ERA in both August & September (exactly 13 games, 16.2 ip and five earned runs in each month.)
- Opposing batters hit just .183 vs. Justin in Sept. (11-of-60)
- Did not allow a run to the NL champion Diamondbacks (8.0 ip)
- Allowed seven of 20 inherited runners to score.
- Retired 31-of-42 first batters faced (.738)
STRAIGHT STRIKEOUTS... Justin tied a club record with his fifth consecutive strikeout on June 21 vs. Arizona.
- It was the sixth time in club history a Rox pitcher has struck out five consecutive hitters.
- Speier became just the third Rockies reliever to accomplish it, joining Gabe White, who did it just six days earlier on June 16, and Darren Holmes on June 1, 1993 vs. Pittsburgh.
- Justin's streak covered three appearances, June 18 (Orlando Merced), June 20 (Jose Vizcaino, Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman) and June 21 (Mark Grace).
CONSECUTIVE WINS... Speier recorded wins in back-to-back games on Sept. 23 & 24 for the Rockies.
- He was the only Colorado pitcher to record W's in back-to-back games in 2001.
- He was the first Rockie to win on consecutive nights since Gabe White on May 13-14, 2000.
- Overall, Speier got the decision in four of the final five games of September (3-1).
WITH THE TRIBE... Speier appeared in 12 games for the Indians prior to his trade to New York.
- He was 2-0 with a 6.97 ERA (16 er, 20.2 ip) with eight walks and 15 strikeouts.
- Pitched 4.2 innings on May 17 at Texas, the longest outing of his career.
- Earned the victory in his first appearance for Cleveland on April 8 vs. Baltimore.
WITH THE METS... Did not make an appearance with New York.
WITH THE SKY SOX... Speier appeared in 11 games for AAA Colorado Springs, going 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA and two saves.
AT COORS FIELD... At Coors Field, he was 4-1 with a 4.34 ERA
ON THE ROAD... On the road, he was 2-2 with a 4.94 ERA.
WITH THE BAT... Was 0-7 at the plate with two strikeouts.
2000
Spent the last four months in the Indians bullpen and was a solid middle man for the Indians during the 2000
campaign...Spent the first seven weeks of the 2000 season at AAA Buffalo before his recall on May 25 and spent
the remainder of the season at the big league level.
Collected his first major league win and struck out a career-best 7 batters over a 3.2 inning performance on
June 18 at Detroit...Justin fanned 9.1 batters/9.0IP this year as he limited hitters to a .246 (15-61) average
against w/runners in scoring position, including a mark of .152 (5-33) with RISP and 2 outs...His 68.1 relief
innings pitched were 2nd on the club in 2000 to Karsay's 76.2IP...Suffered only blown save of the season on
June 11 vs. Cincinnati, yielding a 3-run HR to Ken Griffey that erased a 5-2 Indians 8th inning lead.
Went 3-0 with a 3.45 ERA in August (15.2IP, 14H, 6ER) as he posting an ERA of 4.76 (22.2IP, 27H, 12ER) over
his last 18 appearances after August 15 that raised his ERA from 2.56 to 3.29...ERA in the first half was 2.00
(4.14 ERA in 2nd half)... Over his last 6 outings on the season he allowed only 1 ER in 8.2 innings (1.04 ERA,
6 hits)...Allowed an Indians relief-high 9 HR in 68.1IP...Allowed 31.6% of his inherited runners to score (12
of 38INH) as the Indians were 25-22 (.532) during his outings.
Posted a mark of 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 13 appearances and 9 saves for the Bisons (13.0IP, 13H, 6ER) after
his option out of Major League camp on March 25...Int'l League hitters hit .255 (13-51) off him with 0
HR...Right-handed AAA hitters hit .222 (6-27) and lefties hit .292 (7-24) before his recall for good on May 25.
1999
Split the season between AAA Richmond and Atlanta after being acquired from the Florida Marlins at the
end of spring training on 4/1 for a player to be named (LHP Matt Targac named on 6/11)...Allowed a homer
to Sandy Alomar in first spring game on 4/3 in Turner Field...Was optioned to Richmond following that
outing...Appeared in two games with Richmond before being recalled by the Braves on 4/14 to Atlanta when
Joe Winkelsas was optioned to Richmond...Was with the Braves from 4/14 to 6/27 before being optioned to
Richmond when John Hudek was activated from the DL...Was sharp over his first 13 appearances with the
Braves from 4/14 thru the end of May, going 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA (17.0IP, 12H, 6R/ER, 7BB, 16SO)...Over his
six June appearances he allowed 12 runs (12ER) over his 11.2IP (9.26ERA) was optioned to AAA Richmond
on 6/27 for the remainder of the season...Major League hitters hit just .248 (28-113) with 8 HR allowed in
28.2IP...Played winter ball in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the season.
1998
Began the season at AAA Iowa...Tossed 9.1 scoreless innings of relief 4/10-24...Was ranked fourth in
saves (12) among Chicago's organizational leaders...Made Major League debut with Chicago (NL) on 5/27 vs.
Philadelphia, pitching 1.1 innings and yielding two hits and two earned runs in only game prior to joining
Marlins...Traded by Cubs on 7/31 along with 3B Kevin Orie and P Todd Noel to the Florida Marlins for LHP Felix
Heredia and P Steve Hoff...Allowed three runs in 2.0 innings in Florida debut on 8/2 vs. Cincinnati...Pitched 3.0
hitless innings in longest outing of career on 8/20 vs. Los Angeles...Recorded an 2.60 ERA (0-4) in 27.2 innings
of work for Ponce of the Puerto Rican Winter League.
1997
Split season between double-A Orlando and triple-A Iowa...Was promoted
to Iowa, Aug. 12 and did not allow a run in eight games (12.1IP)...From Aug. 24-30, was named
American Association's Pitcher of the Week...allowed Sean Casey's game-winning three run homer in
Game 3 of American Association Championship...following season, he threw in Arizona Fall League where
he was named leagues All-Prospect Team after tying for AFL lead with eight saves.
1996
Was 2-4 with 13 saves and a 3.76 ERA in 33 games for single-A Daytona...was named as a
mid-season Florida State League All-Star...Promoted to double-A Orlando, July 3... Was 4-1 with a 2.05
ERA in 24 games...Added six saves for a combined 19 with both teams.
1995
Began pro career at single A Williamsport in the New York-Penn League...was 2-1 with 12 saves
and a 1.49 ERA in 30 games.
