Upon graduation from Brophy Prep, Speier attended the University of San Francisco where he played catcher for the Dons.

Speier threw a four-seam fastball from an unusual angle which could reach anywhere between 89 and 94 miles per hour.

His success tended to be directly proportional to his fastball velocity, because the fastball set up his best strikeout pitch – a baffling, darting forkball, which caused great difficulty for hitters because of his unorthodox arm slot.

He pitched 18 games in Florida and by the time next season arrived was coming out of the bullpen for the Atlanta Braves.

[2] While with the Indians in 2000, Speier went 5-2 during the regular season which was the first time he had ever won a game in the major leagues.

[6] On January 28, 2010, Speier signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies with an invitation to spring training.