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Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter named 2024 MLB Coach of the Year by Baseball America
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- Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter named 2024 MLB Coach of the Year by Baseball America
Detroit Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter has been named the 2024 MLB Coach of the Year by Baseball America.
Fetter, who turns 39 in late December, has worked for the Tigers since November 2020 , transforming the pitching department into a pitching factory over the last four seasons. One of his biggest responsibilities is game planning.
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The Tigers ranked fourth in MLB with a 3.63 ERA in 2024.
It wasn't a fluke.
"I was just so thrilled with the amount of guys who we had come up and hit the ground running," Fetter told Baseball America, discussing the 2024 Tigers. "There are a lot of things that can kind of go overlooked in player development, but these guys turned over every stone and allowed these guys to come up and be themselves."
REMEMBER WHEN: Tigers hire Michigan baseball's Chris Fetter as pitching coach
Detroit Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter (41) hugs pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) after top of 6th inning against Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
In 2024, Fetter helped the Tigers advance to the postseason for the first time in a decade.
He played a key role as the Tigers navigated a starting rotation of two pitchers for the final two months of the season after trading one of their top starters and one of two catchers at the July 30 trade deadline. Down to two starters, the Tigers relied on a non-traditional opener-bulk reliever strategy for the other three spots in the rotation.
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The unorthodox pitching strategy propelled the Tigers to the postseason.
PITCHING CHAOS: How Tigers' pitching strategy from Scott Harris, A.J. Hinch is resulting in wins
Beginning Aug. 3, the Tigers ranked first among the 30 MLB teams with a 2.71 ERA in 51 games through the Sept. 29 season finale. The next best team was the Tampa Bay Rays , at 3.17.
"Chris Fetter is obviously somebody I'm very, very close with," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Nov. 4 on the "Days of Roar" podcast. "I've talked endlessly about his impact with the players, but also within my staff and on me — his consistency day in and day out, his ability to draw out the most out of his players that he coaches. His timing, whether it's adjustments that need to be made or changes in the game plan or in-game calming things down, is elite."
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Here are the previous winners of MLB Coach of the Year, which attempts to honor the hard and often less-noticed work that happens on coaching staffs, since Baseball America created the award seven years ago:
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2018: Houston Astros pitching coach Brent Strom .
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2019: Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson .
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2020: San Diego Padres bench coach Bobby Dickerson .
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2021: San Francisco Giants hitting coach Donnie Ecker .
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2022: Seattle Mariners pitching coach Pete Woodworth .
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2023: Atlanta Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer .
As Detroit's pitching coach, Fetter works alongside assistant pitching coach Robin Lund and assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves . The three pitching gurus have been together throughout the past two seasons, with Fetter and Nieves starting in the 2021 season and Lund joining them in the 2023 season.
HOW HE COACHES: Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter's formula: 'Highlight strengths'
Detroit Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter, left, talks to pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) during the sixth inning of Game 2 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal , the winner of the 2024 American League Cy Young Award , and the ace of the Tigers, explained how he views the day-to-day roles of Fetter, Lund and Nieves as the three-headed monster in the pitching department.
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"I think they all do a great job of providing their unique perspective. With Fett, it's a lot of game planning and then obviously bullpens," Skubal said Nov. 22 on MLB Network Radio. "I do bullpen work with him on executing pitches, sequences, what guys aren't seeing, scouting reports and lineups and how I need to go about it, and obviously, on game day, I'm talking to him a ton in between innings.
"And then Lund, he's so smart, and the whole mechanics and biomechanics and how the body is moving, those are the conversations I have with him, where we're going to nerd out a little bit and get some pitch shape stuff. I work with him when I play catch. We have a great relationship.
"And then Juan is pretty old school, and I think there's definitely a place for that in this game. As smart and analytical as we can get, I think old-school stuff is very important — the simple game of getting ahead, throwing strike one, holding runners, all that stuff. He has these little quirks and inside stuff from how he sees the game. He'll walk up before a start or before a series and say, 'Inside move to this runner if this situation comes up,' or, 'Snap-pick here for this guy that's lazy on the bases,' or, 'This guy sits soft second time through, so just know that.' It's that veteran vibe that I think is great."
In the minor leagues, the Tigers' pitching department is led by pitching coordinator Gabe Ribas . The strong relationship between Fetter and Ribas is valuable in helping young players, such as right-hander Keider Montero , left-hander Brant Hurter and right-hander Jackson Jobe , transition from the minor leagues to the major leagues.
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FOUR YEARS AGO: What makes Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter the perfect hire
Fetter was the first person Hinch in hired in November 2020 to join his first coaching staff with the Tigers — predating the arrivals of Ribas and Lund.
He is the longest-tenured coach on Hinch's staff.
Michigan pitching coach Chris Fetter is the program's all-time leader in innings pitched.
Before the Tigers, Fetter worked as the University of Michigan pitching coach (2018-20), Los Angeles Dodgers minor league pitching coordinator (2017) and Ball State University pitching coach (2016), Los Angeles Angels minor league scout (2013-15) and Double-A San Antonio assistant pitching coach (2013).
As a player, Fetter spent four college seasons at Michigan, from 2006-09. He ranks first in program history with 332⅓ innings pitched and third with 281 strikeouts, and he was a three-time team leader in ERA, at 2.22 in 2006, 2.47 in 2008 and 3.26 in 2009. After that, Fetter was selected in the ninth round of the 2009 MLB draft and spent four seasons in the minor leagues with the Padres, where he crossed paths with Hinch.
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While Fetter pitched for the Padres, Hinch — a former MLB catcher — worked in San Diego 's front office as an assistant general manager and scouting director.
Since Fetter's arrival, the Tigers have ranked No. 13 among the 30 teams with a 4.05 ERA in the past four seasons, from 2021-24. The Tigers were at 4.32 in 2021, 4.04 in 2022 and 4.24 in 2023 before skyrocketing to 3.63 in 2024.
Over the past two years, Fetter has been influential in revitalizing the careers of free-agent signees Michael Lorenzen and Jack Flaherty , all while developing pitchers young and old within the Tigers' organization, such as Skubal.
"I begged him to come join us and build this organization in a better direction," Hinch said, reflecting on his decision to hire Fetter in November 2020. "He's awesome. He's understated. He doesn't say much to anybody outside of the circle. But his impact is very well known by the players. The players know what he can do to help them have a better career and a better season."
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Here are some of the other notable 2024 award winners from Baseball America: St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Quinn Mathews (Minor League Pitcher of the Year), Boston Red Sox infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell (Minor League Player of the Year), New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (Major League Player of the Year), Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (Rookie of the Year), San Diego Padres (Organization of the Year), Milwaukee Brewers general manager Matt Arnold (MLB Executive of the Year), Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (MLB Manager of the Year).
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Baseball America: Tigers pitching coach Fetter is MLB Coach of Year
