Q&A with Former Wolverine Chris Getz
8/31/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 31, 2011
Former Wolverine Chris Getz currently is in his fourth season in the Major Leagues and second with the Kansas City Royals. The Grosse Pointe, Mich., native played for the Maize and Blue for two years (2004-05) after starting his college career at Wake Forest. Getz helped U-M to a regional appearance his junior year and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Chicago White Sox.
MGoBlue.com caught up with Getz before Tuesday's (Aug. 30) game against the Detroit Tigers and asked him about how his time at U-M helped him reach the Major Leagues, the positive impact of head coach Rich Maloney, the upcoming U-M football season, and what he would say to the current group of Wolverines.
You're from Grosse Pointe, Mich., but started your college career at Wake Forest. What factors about Michigan brought you to Ann Arbor?
"The original recruiting process out of high school, obviously it was a different coaching staff at Michigan and there was a lot of uncertainty. I remember coming up for my official visit and Geoff Zahn was let go that weekend. They were bringing in a lot of interim guys and I didn't know where the school stood. I always liked Michigan. I don't know if I would have chosen to go there if there was more stability, but I at least would have considered it stronger. So that was kind of an easy decision not to go there at the time. And then Wake Forest, my dad went there, so I grew up a huge fan following their sports, and when I got the opportunity to go there -- they were ranked in the top five in the country at the time -- I knew it was the right decision. When I got down there, it just wasn't a great fit for me. It was really small. Altogether, I just didn't feel like I fit in and I didn't really enjoy the college experience, which is what I was looking for, the whole package; socially, baseball, and all that. So I was looking to make a change, and then [head coach Rich] Maloney got the Michigan job, and I was considering some other schools. I always liked Maloney. When he came to Michigan, it just made the most sense. Then when I was there it just made my life so much better for a lot of reasons. It was just such a better fit. And Maloney was exactly the kind of coach and person that I needed at that point in my playing career, and he got me going in the right direction. I got lucky; he's had a huge impact on me and on my career."
What were some of your top moments at Michigan, on and off the field?
"For one, Michigan baseball had been struggling for a while. We hadn't had a regional appearance in the tournament in a long time, so we were the first team to do it in a while (in 2005). That was a pretty cool thing to experience. I feel like it really got the baseball program in the right direction. Obviously it helped recruiting and he was able to bring in some really quality players and it took off from there and sustained success. I'd say that making that regional was one of the biggest moments."
Do you still keep in touch with any of the guys you played with at Michigan?
"Yeah, I still consider a handful of those guys my closest friends still. Obviously everyone's kind of gone in different directions -- some are married now, some are doctors -- but I definitely keep in touch. A lot of guys live in Chicago too, so we're able to hangout. We watch plenty of Michigan football games on Saturdays at the local bar, but we definitely keep in touch."
How has your time at Michigan helped you going into your professional career?
"Having Coach Maloney, he just prepared me to be the player that I needed to become and get closer to reaching my potential. He made me aware of what I needed to do. It was a maturing process. And that was the biggest impact Michigan brought to me. And then obviously there is the academic aspect. I've gone back to school twice and I'm pretty close to a degree. So just both sides of that, having the baseball and the academic and the whole growth process has helped me kind of get to where I am today, that whole Michigan experience."
How big of a Michigan football fan are you, and are there any big fan rivalries on your team?
"Actually, our head clubhouse guy -- he's our traveling secretary -- he's an Ohio State guy. I actually met Jim Tressel the other day in Cleveland. He came over to the clubhouse. That was kind of fun to give him a hard time. Obviously he's not there anymore -- we didn't bring up any of that stuff -- but I love following football. Mitch Maier, an outfielder here, he's from Novi, and he's a huge Michigan fan. He went to the University of Toledo. It's good to have another Michigan guy.
"I try to pick at least one weekend each year to go to Ann Arbor for a game. Last year it didn't work out, but I'm hoping to make it up there at one point for one of the later games, either Nebraska or Ohio State; I'm hoping to make one of those two. But I certainly don't miss any games; wherever I am, I'm either watching or following along. With Coach Brady Hoke now in there, I think everyone's pretty excited."
If you had a chance to talk to the Michigan baseball team this year, what would you say about your experiences and how they've elevated you to where you are now?
"First, I'd want them to know how lucky they are to have what they have and the coaching staff that they do. Having Coach Maloney and the facilities they have and just coming from a school like Michigan and having the notoriety of being a Michigan baseball player or athlete or student, is going to help them in every aspect of life. And there's not a better place that can prepare you for what's ahead in anything you do, especially baseball. That would be the main gist of it. I would tell the guys to have fun. The baseball experience in college is so much different than it is professionally, that they need to truly enjoy it with how much time they spend with those guys, it's such a big part of your life. Those things that you're going through together, no other time in your life is going to match that. So to really go out and embrace that, have fun and work hard."
