Chris Gittens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chris Gittens |
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Gittens with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2022
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| Free agent | |||
| First baseman | |||
| Born: February 4, 1994 Sherman, Texas, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: June 5, 2021, for the New York Yankees | |||
| NPB: April 4, 2022, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2021 season) |
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| Batting average | .111 | ||
| Home runs | 1 | ||
| Runs batted in | 5 | ||
| NPB statistics (through 2022 season) |
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| Batting average | .242 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 8 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Christopher Ryan Gittens (born February 4, 1994) is an American professional baseball player. He plays as a first baseman. Chris has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. He is currently a free agent, looking for his next team.
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Chris Gittens: Early Life & Baseball Beginnings
Chris Gittens grew up in Sherman, Texas. He went to Sherman High School. While there, he was a star player on the school's baseball team. He played both as a first baseman and a pitcher.
High School Highlights
Chris was an amazing pitcher in high school. He threw a rare perfect game. This means no opposing player reached base at all! He also threw three no-hitters. A no-hitter is when the other team gets no hits in the whole game.
After high school, Chris went to Grayson County College. He continued to play baseball there. In 2014, his second year, he had a fantastic batting average of .422. He also hit 12 home runs and had 71 runs batted in (RBIs).
Becoming a Professional Baseball Player
The New York Yankees picked Chris Gittens in the 12th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. This was a big moment for him. He decided to sign with the Yankees. He chose this over going to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Chris started his professional journey with the Gulf Coast Yankees. This team is part of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. In 2015, he played for two different minor league teams. He had a great batting average of .341. He also hit 8 home runs.
In 2016, Chris played for the Charleston RiverDogs. He hit 21 home runs and had 70 RBIs. These were career-high numbers for him at the time. He kept playing well in 2017 for the Tampa Yankees.
Rising Through the Ranks
In 2019, Chris played for the Trenton Thunder. He had an amazing season. He won the Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award. He hit 23 home runs and had 77 RBIs. His hits were very powerful. The average speed of his hits was 95 miles per hour. This was the fastest in all of minor league baseball!
In 2020, Chris did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many minor league seasons were canceled that year.
Making it to the Major Leagues
In 2021, Chris started the season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He was hitting .283 with 4 home runs. Because of his strong play, the Yankees called him up to the major leagues. This was his dream come true!
He made his MLB debut on June 5, 2021. A few days later, on June 15, he hit his first major league home run. It was against Hyun-jin Ryu of the Toronto Blue Jays. Chris played 10 games with the Yankees. He later returned to the minor leagues. He continued to play well there. He hit .301 with 14 home runs for the RailRiders.
After the 2021 season, Chris left the Yankees.
Playing in Japan
On December 26, 2021, Chris signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. This team plays in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. He played for them in 2022 and 2023.
Recent Career
In December 2023, Chris signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros. He later became a free agent again in November.
Chris Gittens: Off the Field
Chris Gittens has a son who was born in May 2021. His father gave him a special motivation. When Chris was drafted in 2014, his dad told him he wouldn't watch him play in person until he reached the major leagues. Chris said this was a big push for him. Both of his parents were there to watch his major league debut.
