Chad Chop
Chad Joseph Chop (born March 21, 1980) is a former minor league baseball outfielder and first baseman.[1] Since 2014, he has worked as a special assistant for the San Francisco Giants, serving as a left-handed batting practice pitcher and video replay analyst.[2]
Biography
Chop was born in Orange, California, and graduated from Tustin High School.[3] He played two years at San Diego State (1999–2000) before transferring and playing two years at Vanguard University.[4] He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft by the Montreal Expos.[1] He spent four seasons in the Expos' minor league system (2002–05) and one season with the independent Fullerton Flyers (2006).
After retiring as a player, he worked as a firefighter for the Tucson Fire Department from 2007 until 2013.[5][6] He met Hunter Pence in an Orange County gym, who hired him as a left-handed batting practice coach.[1][7] Pence invited Chop to spring training, and in 2014 the Giants hired him as a left-handed batting practice pitcher and video replay analyst, sharing replay duties with Shawon Dunston.[2]
References
- "Chop's Unlikely Road to the World Series". Vanguard University. October 29, 2014.
- Shea, John (March 29, 2014). "Baseball adds replay, but challenges exist". San Francisco Chronicle.
- "Chad Chop". San Diego State Aztecs Athletics.
- Thomas, Jim (July 14, 2003). "Trust in God leads Chop to Sand Gnats". Savannah Morning News.
- "2015 San Francisco Giants Media Guide" (PDF).
- Brown, Daniel (February 16, 2015). "Giants outfielder Hunter Pence takes a mentally challenging few weeks off". San Jose Mercury News.
- Keeling, Brock (April 27, 2015). "He Might Be Giant: A Day in the Life of Hunter Pence". 7x7.