Photos courtesy Kate Woolson/Cincinnati Reds
From the sun-soaked shores of Long Beach to the banks of the Ohio River, Millikan High alum Spencer Steer is living his dream on the baseball diamond.
In the midst of his fourth big league season with the Cincinnati Reds, Steer has come a long way from the early days at Los Altos Little League. Now looking to continue a promising young career and continue his hometown’s rich history within Major League Baseball.
Steer, 27, broke into the majors during a whirlwind 2022 season, which he began in Double-A. Thanks to a solid start to the season, he earned a promotion to Triple-A in May, followed by his selection to the MLB All-Star Futures Game, where he represented the Minnesota Twins organization.
That became a special homecoming for Steer, as the game was played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, allowing a number of family members, teammates, and coaches to come see him on the big stage.
“That was awesome,” Steer recalled. “A lot of people were at that game, and I think it was a lot of people’s first time seeing me play since high school … So yeah, a pretty incredible experience overall.”
After showcasing his skills against the other top minor league prospects in baseball, Steer was then traded by the Twins–the organization that drafted him out of Oregon in the 3rd round of the 2019 draft–over to Cincinnati in early August. Less than a month later, Steer was headed to the Queen City to make his MLB debut against the Colorado Rockies.
Steer said those two months “turned his world upside down,” but he sure landed among the stars for his big league debut. In his four plate appearances that day, Steer drew a pair of walks, doubled, and hit his first MLB home run. As if that wasn’t enough, he also ended the Reds’ walk-off victory by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
“I don’t remember too much from that day, just because of how quick it went by,” Steer admitted. “I heard a lot of, ‘Soak it in, enjoy it. You only get one debut.’ And I tried my best to do that. But at the same time, your whole life’s kind of leading up to this moment. It feels a lot bigger than you think it would, honestly. I just remember being crazy nervous leading up to the game, but once it started, a kind of calmness came over me. It’s still baseball, it’s still the same game. And then having my family here, getting to share that with them, that was really special.”
Since that storybook debut, Steer has carved out an important role with the Reds, playing in at least 156 games in both of his first full seasons in 2023 and 2024. He’s also played six different positions around the diamond, showcasing valuable versatility to help out the ballclub in a number of different ways.
Steer’s 2025 campaign got off to a tough start after he was shut down early in Spring Training due to shoulder discomfort. He was able to work his way back in time for an Opening Day start, but was limited to DH duties for the first three weeks of the season and didn’t put up his usual numbers at the plate.
“I just didn’t really feel like a complete baseball player,” admitted Steer of his time serving as a DH only. “I think I add value by being that guy in the lineup who can kind of plug in and play different positions. It was kind of just a weird thing for me. I’ve never just DH’d before, so I think I struggled with that piece of it.”
He also didn’t get the normal buildup to the season that ballplayers are accustomed to, meaning he was trying to find his timing against live big league pitching, instead of during Spring Training. After having time to adjust at the plate, Steer has found a better rhythm offensively, hitting .264 in his last 29 games with an active 10-game hitting streak as of May 22.
“Every Spring Training I just try to get the game to slow down,” Steer explained. “Because when you get those first at-bats, 90 looks like 100 and 95 looks like it’s unhittable, just because your eyes aren’t adjusted to the speed of the game and seeing spin and all that stuff. So that was a challenge. I’m not going to use that as an excuse for poor performance, but it’s definitely real.”
Now that he’s back playing the field, Steer has added immediate value at first base for the Reds. In his first 243.2 innings at that spot, he’s been credited with 5 defensive runs saved, which ranks second-best among all MLB first basemen.
As Steer navigates the ups and downs of his professional career, he’s never lost touch with his roots. He said he misses the beach, as well as the comfort that comes from being close to friends and family in Long Beach. But Steer said he’s kept in touch with his high school coaches over the years, and still goes back to Millikan during the offseason to hit in the cages.
Now in his fourth MLB season, he’s already reached heights that the vast majority of ballplayers never attain. He’s gotten to play in all 30 big league stadiums, collecting countless memories along the way.
But nine years out of high school, he still remembers those cold nights at Blair Field, and the battles against Lakewood, Wilson, and the rest of the Moore League. Those games still hold a special place in his heart, even as he creates new memories in the big leagues.
“It’s pretty cool that in high school you’re able to play at a field like that,,” Steer said. “Those night games at Blair felt like the biggest games of our lives at that point. I think it’s awesome that you get that opportunity in high school, because some of my favorite memories of baseball are on that field.”
Steer and the Reds will make a couple of West Coast trips later in the 2025 season, including a visit to Anaheim from Aug. 18-20, then to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers from Aug. 25-27.
