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Word has come down from Mariners Royals beat writer Bob Dutton, that the Royals have non-tendered second baseman Chris Getz, making him a free agent. Getz was eligible for arbitration and would have likely "earned" between $1.5 and $2 million for next year. With Emilio Bonifacio being tendered a contract, and Christian Colon and Pedro Ciricao the likely candidates for a utility infielder job, it looks like Getz's days in Royal blue are over.
The thirty year-old Getz spent four seasons in a Royals uniform after being acquired by Dayton Moore in the winter of 2009 from the White Sox with third baseman Josh Fields for outfielder Mark Teahen. Getz played in 332 games with the Royals, hitting .248/.305/.295. Would you believe he put up a positive 1.5 WAR for his career in Kansas City? Its true. Those little things really do add up.
Getz was a bit of a lightning rod amongst Royals Review fans, mostly by being a Major League regular for several years despite not showing any ability to do much of anything that contributes to winning baseball games. He was one of the weakest hitters in the Majors, once going 1,144 plate appearances in a row without a home run. He didn't draw that many walks. He wasn't a high average hitter. He wasn't an exceptional fielder. He was seemingly around to do "the little things" that only wise learned baseball men could see, and not the average fan. He did draw a big fan in Kansas City Star cartoonist Lee Judge who lavished Chris with praise on his hustle, his composure, and his approach to hitting. The cartoonist could see what we could not - the little things.
Getz would end his Royals career with 1,124 plate appearances, 69th in franchise history. He got to stand up there with a bat more times in a Royals uniform than Aaron Guiel, Pat Tabler, Bob Hamelin, or Jim Sundberg.
The Royals are said to be tendering everyone else, including catcher Brett Hayes, who will make about $500k less than George Kottaras would have.
Well, we'll always have Atlanta Chris. We'll always have Atlanta.
