Christopher Ryan Getz (born August 30, 1983) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professiona ...
second baseman who played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
for the
Chicago White Sox,
Kansas City Royals and
Toronto Blue Jays. Getz currently serves as the assistant general manager/player development for the
Chicago White Sox.
Early life
Getz was born in the
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
suburb of
Southfield, Michigan, and was raised in
Grosse Pointe, Michigan by Art and Betsy Getz. He attended
Grosse Pointe South High School ('South'), where he was a three-time All-Michigan selection in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...
and holds the South career records for
batting average (.465),
doubles,
stolen bases,
walks, and
saves. Getz was a member of South's State Championship baseball team during his junior year. He shared the title of "Michigan's Mr. Baseball" in 2002 and also lettered in
football and
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
. Getz was drafted in the sixth round (180th overall) of the
2002 MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox, but opted to play baseball at
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private university, private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, North Carolina, Wake Forest, north of Rale ...
where his father had attended college.
Getz transferred to the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
to play baseball after just one season. He holds the single season
Big Ten records for
at bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
s,
hits, and was an All Big Ten Selection in and . Getz also was a player in the
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thous ...
(CCBL), a premier
collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operate ...
league for major league prospects. In 2003 and 2004, Getz played for the CCBL's Chatham A's, now known as the
Chatham Anglers
The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in ...
, and was named a league all-star in 2004.
Professional career
Chicago White Sox

Getz was again selected by the White Sox in the fourth round (125th overall) of the
2005 MLB draft
The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best ...
. In 2005, he played six games for the
Great Falls White Sox, the Sox rookie league affiliate, batting .333 with 4 RBI.
He was later promoted to the Single-A
Kannapolis Intimidators, where he played in 55 games and batted .307 with a home run and 28 RBI.
In , Getz played in 130 games for the Double-A
Birmingham Barons, and hit .256 with two home runs and 36 RBI.
Limited by injury, Getz played in just 72 games for Birmingham during the season, batting .299 with three home runs and 29 RBI.
In 2008, Getz was named to the
All-Star Futures Game, then was called up to the White Sox on August 10, . He made his major league debut against the
Kansas City Royals on August 12, where he recorded his first hit and
RBI
RBI most often refers to:
*Reserve Bank of India
*Run batted in
RBI may also refer to:
Organisations
*Radio Berlin International
*Raiffeisen Bank International
*Reed Business Information
*Restaurant Brands International
*Ruđer Bošković In ...
off Royals
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
Josh Newman in his one and only
at-bat during the eighth inning. The next day, he had his first Major League start, replacing
Alexei Ramírez at second base. He went 1-for-3 with a
single.
With Ramirez moving over to shortstop for the season, White Sox manager
Ozzie Guillén announced Getz had won the starting role at second base out of spring training. In 2009, Getz ranked tied for first among AL rookies in multi-hit games (28) and 92.6 stolen base percentage (25-for-27) led the league. After the season, he was named
2009 Topps All-Star Rookie Roster.
Kansas City Royals
Getz was traded to the
Kansas City Royals on November 6, 2009 along with
Josh Fields for
Mark Teahen. His career with the Royals was riddled with injuries. He played only 72 games during the 2010 season due first to a strained oblique muscle, and then later due to a concussion after being hit in the head with a baseball.
In those games, Getz batted .255 with 18 RBI and 15 stolen bases.
He fared somewhat better in 2011, appearing in 118 games and posting a .255 batting average, 26 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
During the 2012 season, Getz made three separate trips to the disabled list, first in May with a bruised ribcage, then in June with a lateral strain of the left leg, and finally in August with a broken left thumb. The last injury required surgery, ending his season.
Despite the injury history, the Royals signed Getz to a one-year contract on November 30, 2012. The base contract for 2013 was for $1.05 million, with additional performance bonuses totalling $150,000.
Getz was optioned to the Triple-A
Omaha Storm Chasers in June 2013 after starting the season batting .214 with a home run and 12 RBI.
Jarrod Dyson
Jarrod Martel Dyson (born August 15, 1984) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirate ...
was called down up to replace him. Getz was later recalled on July 18. The Royals did not tender him a contract for 2014 and he became a free agent on December 2, 2013.
Toronto Blue Jays
On January 16, 2014, Getz signed a minor-league contract with the
Toronto Blue Jays. He was sent to minor league camp on March 24, 2014. Getz started the 2014 season with the Triple-A
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...
. He was brought up to Toronto on April 29, and designated for assignment on May 11. Getz cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo on May 13, 2014. On May 16, 2014, Getz announced his retirement from baseball. He batted .160 in 10 games played for the Blue Jays in 2014.
Personal life
His wife, Nicole "Nicky" Getz, was a contestant on
The Amazing Race 23
''The Amazing Race 23'' is the twenty-third season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world.
The season premiered on CBS on September 29, 2013, and the two ...
, where she was teamed up with
David DeJesus' wife, Kim.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Getz, Chris
1983 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball players from Michigan
Birmingham Barons players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Charlotte Knights players
Chatham Anglers players
Chicago White Sox players
Great Falls White Sox players
Kannapolis Intimidators players
Kansas City Royals players
Major League Baseball second basemen
Major League Baseball shortstops
Major League Baseball third basemen
Michigan Wolverines baseball players
Omaha Royals players
Omaha Storm Chasers players
Sportspeople from Southfield, Michigan
Toronto Blue Jays players
Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball players