Major League Baseball Player. For ten seasons (1952 to 1953 and 1956 to 1963), he played at the shortstop, second base and third base positions with the New York/San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. Born Daryl Dean Spencer, he attended East High School in Wichita, Kansas, where he made his first impression on the baseball diamond, as a key member of the school's team which won the state championship in 1946. He played baseball on the collegiate level at Wichita State University, prior to being signed by the New York Giants. Spencer made his Major League debut with the Giants as a late season call up on September 17, 1952. Giants' manager Leo Durocher recognized Spencer's hitting potential and gave him plenty of playing time at multiple positions in the infield. He rewarded his manager by belting 20 home runs in his first full season (1953), which turned out to be his career-high. Following two years of service with the United States Army during the Korean War, Spencer returned to the Giants' lineup and remained a staple for the next four-seasons, after the team's relocation to San Francisco. Spencer holds a place in baseball history as the first San Francisco Giant to hit a home run on the West Coast. He accomplished this feat at Seals Stadium off the Dodgers' Don Drysdale on April 15, 1958. In 1,098 regular season games, he compiled 901 hits, with a .244 lifetime batting average. He extended his playing career an additional seven years in Japan. Spencer went on to coach Coors of Kansas, a National Baseball Congress team. He was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Major League Baseball Player. For ten seasons (1952 to 1953 and 1956 to 1963), he played at the shortstop, second base and third base positions with the New York/San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. Born Daryl Dean Spencer, he attended East High School in Wichita, Kansas, where he made his first impression on the baseball diamond, as a key member of the school's team which won the state championship in 1946. He played baseball on the collegiate level at Wichita State University, prior to being signed by the New York Giants. Spencer made his Major League debut with the Giants as a late season call up on September 17, 1952. Giants' manager Leo Durocher recognized Spencer's hitting potential and gave him plenty of playing time at multiple positions in the infield. He rewarded his manager by belting 20 home runs in his first full season (1953), which turned out to be his career-high. Following two years of service with the United States Army during the Korean War, Spencer returned to the Giants' lineup and remained a staple for the next four-seasons, after the team's relocation to San Francisco. Spencer holds a place in baseball history as the first San Francisco Giant to hit a home run on the West Coast. He accomplished this feat at Seals Stadium off the Dodgers' Don Drysdale on April 15, 1958. In 1,098 regular season games, he compiled 901 hits, with a .244 lifetime batting average. He extended his playing career an additional seven years in Japan. Spencer went on to coach Coors of Kansas, a National Baseball Congress team. He was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Bio by: C.S.
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