Will Chris Getz Be a Fantasy Sleeper in 2009?

With Alexei Ramirez sliding over to shortstop to replace Orlando Cabrera, the White Sox appear ready to open the 2008 season with Chris Getz, a 2005 fourth-round draft pick, manning second base (other options include Jayson Nix & Brent Lillibridge). 

He has just seven career major league at-bats, meaning that most fantasy owners know very little about him.  That certainly doesn’t mean that they should simply ignore him.

At Triple-A last season (in the International League), he posted the following line:

404 At-Bats
.302 Batting Average (122 Hits)
11 Home Runs
52 RBI
60 Runs
11 Stolen Bases
.366 On Base Percentage
.448 Slugging Percentage
.326 Batting Average on Balls in Play

The best part about Getz is his ability to make contact.  Over his minor league career he struck out just 142 times in 1,428 AB. It’s that ability to continually make contact and put the ball in play that allows him the opportunity to be productive, as he doesn’t possess blow away speed or power.

Prior to last season he had hit just 6 HR in the minor leagues. At 25-years old, it is possible that he has finally found a bit of a power stroke, that’s certainly not unthinkable.

I wouldn’t go and expect him to continue to develop his stroke and threaten to be a 20 HR threat, however.

The speed is adequate, stealing double-digit bases every year of his minor league career, but never exceeding 18. Over a full season, he would have the potential to steal 20+ bases, which only five 2B did last season.

Baseball America recently ranked Getz as the White Sox No. 6 prospect, saying, “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.”

That paints the picture of a solid, albeit unspectacular player, much as I have noted.

Injuries are another factor to consider. In 2007, he lost time due to a stress fracture in his leg. Last season, his season was ended in August thanks to a broken left wrist.  Those are obviously unrelated, but we have to ask two questions:

1. Is he full recovered from the wrist?
2. Can he finally stay healthy for a full season?

Wrist injuries are concerning for hitters, but the fear would certainly be far greater if he was a power hitter. He’s more of a player who strives to put the ball in play, and I don’t think the wrist should affect that.

It doesn’t look like Getz is a player to draft as your starting 2B. He doesn’t bring enough speed or power to the table, and likely hitting towards the bottom of the line-up, he’s not a threat to score significant runs.

That actually puts him below a player like Placido Polanco, who brings a similar skill set to the table (and is a player that I try to avoid).

He’s worth watching, and maybe stashing away for those whose league possesses a huge bench. He could be a solid short-term fill-in if your team suffers an injury, but that’s about it.

For someone to use everyday, you want him to bring at least something excellent to the table. Getz is solid all around, but he’s not spectacular. That just doesn’t offer enough production upside.

What do you think? Is Getz a player you want on your fantasy roster?

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM