Chris Getz Stats & Scouting Report

AB	1409
AVG	.25
OBP	.309
SLG	.307
HR	3

Full name Christopher Ryan Getz
Born 08/30/1983 in Southfield, MI
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Michigan
Debut 04/28/2008
Drafted in the 4th round (125th overall) by the Chicago White Sox in 2005 (signed for $225,000).

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Getz has an impressive track record with the bat, sandwiching .364 and .389 seasons at Michigan around a .293 summer with wood bats in the Cape Cod League. He makes exceptional contact from the left side of the plate, striking out just 46 times in three college seasons while focusing on staying inside the ball. He gets on base and has basestealing speed once he's there. Though he has played second base for the Wolverines and as a freshman at Wake Forest, he has the arm, hands and range to play shortstop as a pro and may well get that opportunity. The lone knock on Getz is his power. His size and approach don't lend themselves to driving the ball. He has just nine extra-base hits (all doubles) this year and had three (all doubles) on the Cape last summer. Scouts say his makeup will allow him to maximize his ability, but his ceiling is more of a Craig Counsell or Mickey Morandini than as a star.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The most advanced hitter in the system, Getz recovered from a 2007 stress fracture in his left leg to add to his resume. He hit .302 and continued to control the strike zone while showing newfound power. He played in the Futures Game and might have made Chicago's postseason roster if a pitch hadn't broken his left wrist in late August. Getz gets on base by working counts and making consistent line-drive contact to all fields. He uses his first-step quickness to get more than his share of infield hits and to steal a few bases. A versatile defender, he saw time at second base, shortstop, third base and left field in 2008. He's not flashy anywhere but makes the routine play. Getz never had hit more than three homers in a season before getting 11 in 2008, when he was based in a hitter's park. While he occasionally pitched in relief at Michigan, some scouts question his arm, which limits him on the left side of the infield and on the double-play pivot. With Alexei Ramirez moving to shortstop, Getz was the White Sox's best in-house option for second base until they signed free agent Jayson Nix and traded for Brent Lillibridge. Getz will need a fully healthy wrist to win the job in spring training. Long term, he projects as more of a utilityman than a regular.
Drafted by Chicago in the sixth round out of a Michigan high school and again in the fourth round after a college career split between Wake Forest and Michigan, Getz doesn't fit the mold of sleeper. Yet he flew under the radar until a breakout season in 2007, when he showed leadoff skills in Double-A. He missed two months with a leg injury and one manager noted that Birmingham wasn't the same without him. A baseball rat, Getz is fundamentally strong in all phases of the game, which allowed him to advance to Double-A in his first full season as a pro, and he's especially adept at getting on base and putting the ball in play. He struck out only 46 times in his three seasons of college ball and almost always has more walks than whiffs, showing that he's not afraid to hit with two strikes. He has a short, quick swing. His arm is strong enough that he was a closer for his high school team and even pitched at Michigan. He has average speed. Despite the strong arm, Getz profiles exclusively as a second baseman. He doesn't have great range despite having worked hard on his first-step quickness. He has no power, having hit just five homers in 202 Double-A games. He has good baserunning instincts but won't be a basestealing threat. For the moment, Getz is below Danny Richar on the White Sox' depth chart. He'll almost certainly start 2008 at Triple-A but figures to push Richar for the big-league job.
The White Sox coveted Getz for years, drafting him in the sixth round out of high school in 2002 only to watch him head to Wake Forest. He transferred to Michigan after his freshman season, and established himself as one of the best hitters for average in the 2005 draft. Chicago finally nabbed him last June, signing him for $225,000 as a fourth-rounder. He has a short, quick swing with uncanny hand-eye coordination and tremendous plate discipline. He struck out only 47 times in his three seasons in college and walked three times as much as he whiffed in his pro debut. Getz doesn't project to ever develop power with his approach, but his on-base skills and plus speed still will make him an offensive contributor. At second base, he's a plus defender with arm strength, range and soft hands. While he figures to stay at second, the Sox think he throws well enough to fill in at shortstop or third base if needed as a utility player. Getz will hit his way to the big leagues, likely starting in high Class A for his first full season.

Minor League Top Prospects

If the White Sox let Orlando Cabrera walk as a free agent, they could shift Alexei Ramirez to shortstop and install Getz at second base while waiting for 2008 first-rounder Gordon Beckham to develop. Getz got his first taste of Chicago in September, but he was shut down when he was diagnosed with a broken left wrist, the result of getting hit by a Wade Davis pitch on the second-to-last day of the IL season. Getz is geared for contact, striking out once every 11.4 plate appearances as a pro, and he sprays the ball all around the field. He's a calm, quiet hitter who is unafraid to work deep counts and seldom chases pitches out of the zone. Despite bettering his previous high for home runs in a season by eight--hitting 11 this year in 111 games--Getz has below-average power. All 11 of his homers were hit in Charlotte's hitter-friendly Knights Stadium. Getz has steady infield actions and decent hands at second base. He hangs in on double plays and has a strong arm for the position. Though he's an above-average runner, Getz has a slow first step, meaning that he would be stretched as an everyday shortstop. He returned to that position this season for the first time since his pro debut, and he also spent time in left field, preparing him for a potential long-term role as a big league utilityman.