Getz Could be Key to Keystone

There is a little bit of instability in the Chicago White Sox infield as the team prepares to head to spring training in advance of the 2009 MLB season. Joe Crede and Orlando Cabrera are gone from the left side of the infield. Veteran infielder Juan Uribe also flew the coop. Incumbent second baseman Alexei Ramirez is expected to slide over to shortstop.

There is a gaping hole at second base and the club has attempted to address that by signing Colorado castoff Jayson Nix and trading for former Atlanta Braves prospect Brent Lillibridge. But the best option may be one that can be found in-house.

Chris Getz is not the most gifted baseball player on the field, but gritty second baseman are back in vogue, thanks to Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox (2007 AL ROY, 2008 AL MVP). That’s not to say Getz’s ceiling is anywhere near that of Pedroia’s. The 25-year-old was selected in the fourth round of the 2005 draft out of the University of Michigan. He spent four seasons in the minors before getting a taste of Major League Baseball last season. In 10 games, Getz went 2-for-7 (.286).

Getz had his first taste of pro ball in A-ball after being drafted in 2005 and he hit .304/.407/.397 in 214 at-bats. That earned him a promotion to Double-A to begin 2006, which was also his first full minor league season. He struggled with the two-level jump and hit just .256/.326/.321 in 508 at-bats. Getz rebounded the next season, though, and hit .299/.382/.381 in 278 at-bats while repeating the level and also struggling with injuries.

The left-handed batter showed even more improvements in 2008 at Triple-A when he hit .302/.366/.448 with an ISO that almost doubled from 0.83 to 1.46. His rates were solid, including a 9.2 BB% and a 13.1 K%. Getz has also hit southpaws very well in his career, so there is no need to platoon him. He has a career batting average of .302 against left-handers and hit .319 against them in 2008.

Defensively, Getz’s arm is average, as is his range. He made just three errors in 61 games (.990 FP) at second base in Triple-A with a 5.07 RF/g. He also spent time at shortstop, third base and in the outfield at Triple-A, although he is definitely best-suited for second base at the Major League level – if playing every day.

Getz, perhaps in the No.2 hole, could certainly be a nice complement to the White Sox’ traditional plodding sluggers.