Bob Speake
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1959)
Bob Speake was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1959 for the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants, a span of 5 seasons. In 305 career games, he hit .223 with 170 hits, 31 home runs, and 104 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 178 lb
- Died
- 10/3/2024 in Topeka, KS, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1955-04-16
- Last Game
- 1959-06-08
Full name: Robert Charles Speake
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 305 | 761 | 110 | 170 | 26 | 10 | 31 | 104 | 8 | 80 | 158 | .223 | .301 | .406 | .707 | -195 |
Career AVG .223 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 13.3% below league average.
Career OBP .301 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.
Career SLG .406 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .707 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | CHN | NL | 95 | 261 | 36 | 57 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 43 | 3 | 28 | 71 | .218 | .258 (-16%) | .332 (-10%) | .393 (+9%) | .726 (avg) | -39.7 |
| 1957 | CHN | NL | 129 | 418 | 65 | 97 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 50 | 5 | 38 | 68 | .232 | .257 (-10%) | .323 (-8%) | .391 (+3%) | .715 (-2%) | -175.9 |
| 1958 | SFN | NL | 66 | 71 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 15 | .211 | .257 (-18%) | .324 (+3%) | .394 (-4%) | .719 (-1%) | 20.9 |
| 1959 | SFN | NL | 15 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 305 | 761 | 110 | 170 | 26 | 10 | 31 | 104 | 8 | 80 | 158 | .223 | — | — | — | — | -195 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (305 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 147 | 339 | 41 | 79 | 12 | 43 | .233 |
| Away | 158 | 422 | 69 | 91 | 19 | 61 | .216 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-06-08 | SFG | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-06-07 | SFG | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-06-04 | SFG | ATL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-05-29 | SFG | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959-05-28 | SFG | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959-05-09 | SFG | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-05-07 | SFG | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-05-05 | SFG | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-05-03 | SFG | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-05-01 | SFG | ATL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 51 |
| Left Field | 79 |
| Center Field | 40 |
| Right Field | 8 |
Bob Speake: the record in brief
Bob Speake played a first major league game on April 16, 1955 and a last one on June 8, 1959. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago Cubs (1955 through 1957) and the San Francisco Giants (1958 to 1959). The bio lists Speake as an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds. The birth record reads August 22, 1930, in Springfield, MO, USA. Speake's death is recorded on October 3, 2024, in Topeka, KS, USA. On the record, Bob Speake was born Robert Charles Speake.
Across 305 games at the plate, Speake's career line reads 170 hits in 761 at bats for a .223 average, plus 31 homers and 104 runs batted in. Speake got on base at a .301 rate and slugged .406 (.707 OPS). Over the seasons Speake played, league hitters batted .258; the .223 career figure is 13.3% below that. Speake's most home runs in a season came in 1957, when the total reached 16 for the Chicago Cubs. 1957 produced Speake's most hits, 97 of them for the Chicago Cubs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Speake
- What years did Bob Speake play?
- Bob Speake played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1959.
- Was Bob Speake a pitcher?
- No. Bob Speake was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bob Speake hit?
- Bob Speake hit 31 career home runs with 170 hits.
- What was Bob Speake's career batting average?
- Bob Speake batted .223 over his career, with 170 hits in 761 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bob Speake have?
- Bob Speake drove in 104 runs in his career.
- Is Bob Speake in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bob Speake has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.