Where Are They Now: Todd Shined on Diamond at Shorewood, Coastal Carolina

Shorewood High School has grabbed the spotlight in recent years as a baseball powerhouse. However, the school’s baseball prowess is no recent development. Former T-Bird Chris Todd can vouch for that. 

Todd, a three-year letterman, was a first team All-Wesco South Division selection his senior year, was named the team’s, “Mr. Defense,” and hit .460 with 25 stolen bases on a Shorewood team that finished third in state in 2001.

“We were a group of small and scrappy teammates who had been playing together since we were 6 years old,” said Todd. “It’s a great feeling achieving that level of success with guys you consider to be your brothers.”

After graduating from Shorewood, Todd would spend a year at Washington State and two years at Bellevue Community College (a second team All-NWAACC selection his sophomore year) before taking his talents across the country to Division-1 Coastal Carolina.

“I was recruited out of Bellevue by Coastal and Centenary. Other than that it would have been lower divisions or NAIA,” said Todd. “Coach (Mark) Yoshino said, ‘you better go there because that is the best offer you are going to get."’ 

Todd however, would start his Division 1 career on a sour note, losing nearly three months of his season to a stress fracture. However, Todd still managed to appear in 26 games, hitting .355 in 22 starts, and was named to the Big South All-Tournament team. It would be a sign of things to come, as Todd would make up for time lost with a breakout senior season. In a year in which he would be named captain, Todd would reach base safely in 64 of 65 games (including 49 straight) and post a .490 on base percentage en route to leading Coastal Carolina to its first 50-win season (50-16), and it’s first ever NCAA regional #1 seed. Todd would also be an All-Big South second team selection, and his performance would catch the eye of the San Francisco Giants organization. In the 2005 draft, the Giants would snatch Todd in the 33rd round.

“It's an interesting feeling (being drafted) because you don't really expect it as someone in my position who had been told their whole lives they were too small,” said Todd. “So it's a little surreal in the sense that you can't believe your name is showing up on the draft screen for the San Francisco Giants.”

Todd would be assigned to the short-season-A Northwest League’s Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. While in Salem, Todd would share the field with the likes of current Giants Pablo Sandoval, Sergio Romo, and Emmanuel Burriss. Todd would hit .206 in 34 games his rookie season, before breaking out with a .289 average and .412 on base percentage in 2006. That year, the Volcanoes would take home the Northwest League championship.

“As far as minors itself, it's single handedly the hardest thing I've ever done,” said Todd. “They really tear you down as a player physically and emotionally. They’re trying to not only rid you of bad physical habits that don't help in pro ball, but also trying to build you into a confident and mentally sound player that can take the rigors of an entire season.”

However, after his second year in Salem, Todd would call it a career. He spent four years with Pharmacy OneSource, a company specializing in pharmacy software, before taking a position last year in Chicago, at a sports research company called Navigate Research.

“We focus on measuring the success and effectiveness of sponsorships in sports and entertainment. It's been great to get back to working in the industry that I love.”