Chris Getz on the go with helping rebuild the White Sox
Editor's Note: This story was corrected to state that Chris Getz was born in 1983.
The Chicago White Sox are still in the early innings of a radically different game.
After more than 30 years of loading up with veterans and trying to contend under chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, the White Sox are taking a needed step back and trying to rebuild a broken franchise starting from the ground floor.
After decades of neglect, the White Sox are focused on fixing the farm system. They want to add and nurture young talent rather than trade any or all of their promising prospects for established players on the downhill side of their careers.
Chris Getz was once a promising White Sox prospect. Drafted on the fourth round in 2005, I remember leaning on then general manager Kenny Williams' golf cart in the spring of 2007 watching Getz take groundballs at second base.
"Tough SOB," Williams said. "He fights for everything he gets."
Undersized at 6-foot, 165 pounds, Getz scrapped his way to the major leagues and arrived on the South Side in 2008. The University of Michigan product played in 117 games with the White Sox in 2008-09 before being packaged with third baseman Josh Fields and traded to Kansas City for third baseman Mark Teahan.
Getz spent four seasons with the Royals and retired in 2014 after playing 10 games with the Blue Jays.
He wasn't out of the game for long, though. Less than eight months later, Getz was hired by Kansas City as baseball operations assistant/player development.
Rejoining the White Sox in October as director of player development, the Grosse Pointe, Michigan, native has spent much of this spring sitting in a golf cart evaluating an influx of promising new prospects.
"Brings back a lot of memories," Getz said in the early days of training camp.
Not only is he trying to get up to speed on White Sox prospects such as Carson Fulmer, Zack Collins, Zack Burdi and Spencer Adams, Getz is also familiarizing himself with newcomers Yoan Moncada, Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Michael Kopech, who were acquired in December trades for Chris Sale (Boston) and Adam Eaton (Washington).
"It's where makeup comes into play," Getz said. "Because I've experienced a lot of these same things, there are times where I can have a conversation or just look into a guy's eyes and tell what we have in front of us. What derails them really is their heart, their passion for the game. It's kind of challenging to measure from a scouting perspective, but their day-to-day approach to the game, that's really where the heart and desire to be a great player comes through."
While there is little doubt Moncada is the White Sox's best prospect and second baseman of the future, Getz is also intrigued by Fulmer, Lopez, Giolito and Kopech, who could all be in the big club's rotation by 2019.
"To be able to bring the players in that we have, that have the ceilings that they have, they're front-line guys," Getz said. "The stuff grades out that way. It's obviously very exciting when you start envisioning them pitching in Chicago.
"What's going to be great is getting these guys together in a system. They're going to be naturally competitive with each other, and God knows what's going to come out of that."
Getz spent four years in the minor leagues before making it to the White Sox, so he knows all about patience. That experience should serve him well as the Sox are committed to giving their young talent proper time to develop.
"You have to be patient," Getz said. "Each player, I think, will dictate the pace. But I think when in doubt, you're probably going to be a little more patient than aggressive based on what we're trying to do at the major-league level, what we're trying to accomplish here long-term."
The Chris Getz file
Early life: Born Aug. 30, 1983 in Southfield, Mich., and raised in Grosse Point, Mich.
High school: 3-time All-Michigan player at Grosse Point South, where he holds several career baseball records, including batting average (. 455).
College: Attended Wake Forest before transferring after one year to Michigan, making All-Big Ten in 2004 and 2005.
Minors: After playing in Cape Cod League, Getz was drafted by Chicago White Sox in fourth round of 2005 and sent to Kannapolis and Great Falls. He then played for the Birmingham Barons (2006-2007), Charlotte Knights (2008-09), followed by brief stints with Omaha Royals (2010, 2012-13) and Buffalo Bison (2014).
White Sox: Made his debut April 28, 2008, playing 10 games that season and 107 games in 2009, with a hitting line of .261/.324/.337 with 31 RBI and 25 stolen bases.
Royals: Played 332 games from 2010-2013 for Kansas City with a line of .248/.305/.295.
Blue Jays: Played in 10 games for Toronto in 2014 before retiring on May 16.
MLB career: .250, 111 RBI, 3 HR
2015-2016: Worked as an assistant in Kansas City's player development department, helping with minor league operations and player personnel decisions.
2017: Becomes director of player development for Chicago White Sox.