Chris O'Brien

Christopher Charles O'Brien

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 219 lb.
• School Wichita State University
• High School Bishop Kelley High School

• Born July 24, 1989 in Milwaukee, WI USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

The son of Charlie O'Brien and nephew of John O'Brien and Erik Sonberg, Chris O'Brien turned pro in 2011.

O'Brien was All-State as a high school senior; he was also second-team All-Conference in basketball. Following in his father and uncle's footsteps, he went on to Wichita State University. He hit .261/.375/.402 as a freshman, playing mostly third base, then batted .291/.345/.400 as a part-time catcher his sophomore season. Starting at catcher as a junior, he was dominant at .410/.495/.643 with 56 runs, 25 doubles and 70 RBI in 65 games. O'Brien was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. He was named second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, behind Jake Lowery, and was third-team according to the American Baseball Coaches Association.

O'Brien went to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2011 amateur draft. He was assigned to the AZL Dodgers and was batted .294/.365/.490 after 42 games, with 35 RBI, before finishing the season with 4 games with the Ogden Raptors. In 2012, he spent the season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League, where he hit .252/.305/.377 in 80 games. In 2013, his season was shortened by an injury that limited him to 64 games at Rancho Cucamonga, in addition to a rehabilitation assignment back with the AZL Dodgers. He hit only .195 in the California League, but in 2014, the Dodgers decided to promote him to the AA Chattanooga Lookouts anyway. He rewarded their confidence with a solid season, playing 116 games and hitting .266/.341/.438 with 32 doubles and 7 homers. He only scored 33 runs but drove in 53.

O'Brien was assigned back to Chattanooga to start the 2015 season, but before he had a chance to unpack his bags there, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on April 9th, along with P Ben Rowen, in return for P Ryan Webb, C Brian Ward, and a competitive balance round pick in the 2015 amateur draft.

Sources

• Wichita State biography