Bloodlines have helped prepare Whitecaps' pitcher Gabe Speier

COMSTOCK PARK, MI - If bloodlines are any indication, then the West Michigan Whitecaps' Gabe Speier might be in for a long baseball career.

Speier, who has pitched well out of the bullpen for the Whitecaps, is the nephew of 19-year big league veteran Chris Speier, who debuted in the majors as a 20-year-old shortstop in 1971, and the cousin of Justin Speier, who had a 35-33 record in 12 years in the big leagues before retiring in 2009.

Speier said he has learned much about baseball from the pair since being taken by Boston in the 19th round of the 2013 draft. Speier, who had a 2.08 ERA in his first 25 career games, was acquired by the Tigers from Boston in the Yoenis Cespedes trade last December. He's learned, for instance, how to pitch, how to handle the professional baseball lifestyle, the jolt of being traded and how to handle both success and the lack of it. While many pro ballplayers have learned lessons the hard way, Speier said he's heard stories about the game virtually his whole life from two family members who combined to play 2,873 big-league games.

"There's a legacy. It's helped having them around. They've been there and they know what it takes to get to the big leagues," said Speier, a native of Goleta, Calif. "(A legacy) has been more positive than negative. But I'm here for me, not my family."

As for pure pitching advice, Speier said his uncle and cousin always had the same advice.

"Get ahead of batters and stay ahead," Speier said. "And the biggest pitch is always strike one."

While Speier doesn't consider it a negative, some would contend that the bloodlines have opened doors for Speier in addition to providing pressure. If two other Speiers had long major league careers, shouldn't a nephew and cousin be better prepared to make the majors, some could argue. It's an argument that Speier, one of the youngest player on the Whitecaps' roster who just turned 20 on April 20, discards.

"Possibly," he said. "But at the same time it's tough for anyone to make the big leagues. I've never really thought about it."

What Speier has thought about is how he wants to be the third from his family to make the big leagues. He's off to a credible start in that endeavor as Speier had a 3-0 record and 1.36 ERA in 33 innings in his first two seasons in the Boston chain. That success has carried over to the Whitecaps, where he has a 2.34 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 19 innings in his first 13 games.

Speier hasn't missed a beat in a situation which some young players find difficult to accept after being traded for the first time.

"It was a shock," he said of the trade during the 2014 winter meetings which also included Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello. "It wasn't something I was expecting. But at the same time I was happy. It showed that a team wanted me and I'm happy to be here."

Speier's mother is an interior designer and his father an engineer, but Speier's ambition has always been to be on a baseball field.

"Since I was in t-ball, my dream has always been to play in the majors," he said.