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Burch Smith joins Tigers, reunites with Chris Fetter after 12 years
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- Burch Smith joins Tigers, reunites with Chris Fetter after 12 years
Burch Smith made his MLB debut in May 2013.
The 35-year-old right-hander didn't return to the big leagues until 2018, an unusually long gap caused by nearly three years without throwing a pitch in a game while battling multiple elbow injuries.
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"I was probably weeks away from never pitching again," Smith said. "My elbow just couldn't hold up."
Smith has overcome adversity at every turn.
And he's still pitching in 2026.
"I look at it as part of the game," said Smith, who owns a 5.79 ERA across 247⅓ innings over his six-year MLB career. "There are very few guys who haven't dealt with injuries, especially pitching these days. Up to this point, I've always been able to get back in a good position and feel good."
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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Burch Smith (40) throws to the plate during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 19, 2024.
His latest opportunity comes with the Detroit Tigers after signing a minor-league contract for the 2026 season. His goal is to reestablish himself following a series of injuries, from major setbacks to minor interruptions.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates released Smith in late July.
No team signed him for the final two months of the 2025 season, but he kept his career alive with dominance in the Dominican Republic as a high-leverage reliever for Águilas Cibaeñas during the 2025-26 offseason.
His performance impressed the Tigers .
"We've always been in talks in free agency, but it just never worked out," said Smith, who will earn $1.5 million if he makes the MLB roster. "It just seemed like a good time right now. I do have connections there."
In 2026, Smith will reunite with pitching coach Chris Fetter for the first time in 12 years.
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They met 14 years ago.
The San Diego Padres selected Smith in the 14th round of the 2011 draft out of Oklahoma and assigned him to their rookie-level affiliate at the spring training complex in Peoria, Arizona. At the same time, Fetter was rehabbing an injury sustained at the High-A level, putting the two pitchers in the same clubhouse.
That's when Smith and Fetter crossed paths.
"We weren't around each other too much, but he was in the same clubhouse, so I got to know him a little bit," Smith said.
By 2013, the Padres had released Fetter – only to hire him as their Double-A pitching coach. That season, Smith reported to Double-A with Fetter as his pitching coach, spending just one month there before earning a promotion for his MLB debut.
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"We were in Double-A together during his first year coaching," Smith said. "I have a relationship there with him. I know he's great, and he's on the cutting edge, as well as the rest of the organization with data and ideas. They're doing some really fun stuff right now."
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After his MLB debut in 2013, Smith endured a series of unfortunate events involving his right elbow.
In 2014, a platelet-rich plasma shot shut him down from mid-April until he resurfaced in the Arizona Fall League that October. In 2015, he underwent Tommy John surgery in early April, costing him the entire season. In 2016, he fractured his right elbow in his first rehab outing and again missed the entire season, even without surgery.
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The fracture stemmed from the Tommy John surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews, as one of the bone tunnels created for the tendon graft to replace the damaged ligament failed.
It rarely happens.
But it happened to Smith.
He finally returned to full health in late June 2017, regained his form in the Fall League in October 2017 and found his way back to the MLB ranks as a Rule 5 draft pick with the Kansas City Royals in March 2018.
"I was primarily in the bullpen in 2020 and 2021," Smith said. "I really wanted to get back to starting. I had seen guys in the past go overseas as a starter and then be able to come back to the States as a starter. That was part of my plan, which is why I went to Japan."
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Injuries derailed that plan, both in 2022 with Japan's Saitama Seibu Lions and in 2023 with South Korea's Hanwha Eagles. A lat strain pushed him to the bullpen in Japan, limiting him to 64⅔ innings. He then went to Korea as a starter, only to suffer a shoulder strain that led to his release after just 2⅔ innings.
That's when Smith committed to being a reliever for the rest of his career.
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In 2025, Smith posted a 7.08 ERA with 12 walks and 26 strikeouts across 20⅓ innings in 19 games at the Triple-A level for the Pirates. Along the way, he dealt with a hamstring strain, a flexor strain and an oblique strain.
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He hasn't pitched in MLB since 2024.
To save his career, Smith became a high-leverage reliever in the Dominican Winter League, making his first appearance in early November. He registered a 1.76 ERA with six walks and 20 strikeouts across 15⅓ innings in 18 games, recording six saves. He didn't allow a run in his final nine outings, finishing with an 8⅔-inning scoreless streak.
"You can't control your results," said Smith, who leaned on Águilas Cibaeñas pitching coach Jorge Moncada – also the Tampa Bay Rays ' bullpen coach – for advice. "I had to let go and trust it and simplify the game, so really just focusing on strike one and attacking from there. I was throwing everything for strikes and getting ahead."
Smith throws six pitch types, but he primarily relies on his four-seam fastball, cutter and curveball. In the Dominican Republic, he scrapped his struggling sweeper.
Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Burch Smith (40) on the mound against the Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning at Fenway Park in Boston on Dept. 9, 2024.
His fastball is his best pitch.
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It averages 94 mph, misses bats at an above-average rate and plays effectively at the top of the strike zone.
"I want to know how much damage was done on the sweeper," said Smith, whose sweeper allowed a .375 batting average and 1.250 slugging percentage at Triple-A in 2025. "I could not get it working this year. I was stubborn, and I kept throwing it, and it just kept getting hit for damage. I feel like most of my bad numbers were on that single pitch."
He believes a simplified approach built around his fastball, cutter and curveball will give him the best chance to reestablish himself as a reliever in the big leagues.
Now healthy, Smith is reunited with an old friend in Fetter at Tigers camp – and he's searching for another opportunity after overcoming adversity for more than a decade.
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"I'm built up and ready to go," said Smith, projected for Triple-A Toledo. "My goal is to pitch as well as I can and be a part of this team. If it's not Opening Day, hopefully at some point soon, but I'm definitely going to give it my best and try to win a championship."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Burch Smith joins Detroit Tigers with Chris Fetter connection
