Biography
Spencer Gordon Steer (born December 7, 1997) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
Amateur career
Steer attended Millikan High School in Long Beach, California. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 29th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign and played college baseball at the University of Oregon. In 2018, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Steer was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the third round of the 2019 MLB draft.
Professional career
Minnesota Twins
Steer made his professional debut with the Elizabethton Twins and Cedar Rapids Kernels. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 because the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He started 2021 with Cedar Rapids before being promoted to the Wichita Wind Surge. Over 110 games between the two teams, Steer slashed .254/.348/.484 with 24 home runs and 66 RBIs.
Cincinnati Reds
On August 2, 2022, the Twins traded Steer, Steve Hajjar, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Tyler Mahle.
On September 1, 2022, the Reds selected Steer's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his debut the next day, going 2 for 2 with a home run for his first Major League hit, a double, and walking twice. In the 28 games Steer appeared in, he ended the season slashing .211/.306/.326.
In 2023, Steer played 73 games at first base, 48 games in the outfield, 47 games at third base, and 16 games at second base. Over 156 games he hit .271 with 23 home runs, 15 stolen bases, 74 runs and 86 RBI.
In 2024, Steer played 102 games in the outfield, 63 games at first base, 7 games at second base, and 1 game at shortstop. He suffered a steep drop in batting average from .271 to .225, but hit 20 home runs and stole 25 bases.