Getz back with Chicago White Sox
Chris Getz started his professional baseball career with the Chicago White Sox.
Just more than 11 years later, he's back with the organization.
"It's really a great feeling because it's obviously a place where I got my career started," Getz said on a conference call Friday after being named the Sox's director of player development. "Chicago became a home to me and really that whole process, the relationships I was able to build, it was something that will always be in my heart, something that always will be in my DNA.
"So when this opportunity arose to get back to Chicago and be a part of the White Sox organization, there was a great appeal."
Getz, who played for the Sox in White Sox 2008-09 before moving on to the Royals (2010-13) and Blue Jays (2014), replaces Nick Capra, the White Sox's new third-base coach under manager Rick Renteria.
Getz was Kansas City's baseball operations assistant/player development the past two years, and now he will head up the Sox's minor-league system.
"What I think it is is carrying out the vision of the scouts," Getz said of his new role. "The players are identified by the scouts and then they are brought in, and it's a commitment by both the player and staff members to create an environment for that player to reach their ceiling. It's a daily process.
"It's very task-oriented. It's focused on what's in front of you. Player-development people are trying to get the player better every single day. With that being said, the staff members need to be creative in their thinking. They need to be innovative at times. They need to know when to press the gas or pump the brakes. They need to be versatile in all these different areas."
Getz has been getting to know the White Sox's farm system over the past week.
"It's been a quick week, let's put it that way," he said. "Everything kind of moved quickly, really. I was in Chicago last week and I met with (assistant general manager) Buddy Bell and (GM) Rick (Hahn) for a little bit. We had (field coordinator) Kirk Champion in there along with some pitching guys.
"I got a little bit of a feel for the system. I don't have a great feel for it. I know I will learn a lot more at the organizational meetings.
"I'm going to be going to the Dominican Republic to see our academy and then I'll go to the Arizona Fall League. Through all those different stops, I'll get a better feel for things."