Early life

Gillaspie attended Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he played baseball, football, and basketball. Gillaspie attended Wichita State University, majoring in geology, from 2006-08. He hit .362 with 58 doubles and 24 home runs over three seasons and was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection.

Gillaspie played in the Cape Cod Baseball League during the summer of 2007, leading the entire league in hitting with a .345 batting average. He led the Falmouth Commodores to the championship series against the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, but could not play in the series as he had to return to school. He was named the MVP of the Cape League.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Gillaspie was drafted by the San Francisco Giants 37th overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. He played only 24 games in the minors before being called up to the majors on September 6, 2008. He got his first major league hit off Dan Haren on September 16, 2008.

Gillaspie spent 2009 at Single-A San Jose and 2010 in Double-A Richmond. He started the 2011 season with Triple-A Fresno. On June 5, 2011, Gillaspie was recalled to the major leagues when Brandon Belt was placed on the 15-day disabled list. On September 27, 2011, Gillaspie hit an inside-the-park home run against Colorado Rockies pitcher Esmil Rogers for his first Major League home run.

Gillaspie began 2012 with Triple-A Fresno, hitting .362 with 3 HR and 13 RBI in 23 games before being recalled to San Francisco when Pablo Sandoval was placed on the 15-day DL. He got his first hit (a single) of the 2012 season on June 10 against the Texas Rangers.

Chicago White Sox

On February 22, 2013, the San Francisco Giants traded Gillaspie to the Chicago White Sox for minor-league pitcher Jeff Soptic. He became the White Sox primary third baseman in 2013 and 2014. He hit .245 with 13 home runs in 134 games in 2013 and hit .282 with 7 home runs and 57 RBIs in 130 games in 2014. He struggled in 2015 and was designated for assignment on July 19, 2015.

Los Angeles Angels

The White Sox traded Gillaspie to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for cash considerations on July 24, 2015. He was designated for assignment on August 18.

Second stint with the Giants

In February 2016, the San Francisco Giants signed Gillaspie to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. He started the season with the Giants' Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League. He was called up on April 22nd.

Personal

His brother, Casey Gillaspie, was drafted in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]