Chris Fetter

Current Position: University of Michigan, Assistant Coach/Pitcher

Age: December 23, 1985 (33)

All professional sports leagues are in nature copycat leagues. As a result, when the 29 other baseball teams saw the positive impact Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson had on this pitching staff, teams began looking at the collegiate ranks to find the next Johnson. By and large, the attention has been directed towards Fetter who was noted by Jeff Passan of ESPN to be a “rising star in the industry.”

Fetter earned this reputation mostly from his work with the University of Michigan pitching staff. As noted by Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, Fetter has shown not just an ability to translate analytics to pitchers in a way they can understand and adapt, but he has learned to focus on the mental side of pitching. To accomplish that, Fetter has employed mental skills training, which includes, but is not limited to meditation.

While Fetter is a collegiate coach now, he cut his teeth in professional baseball, and he was able to use his experience and knowledge to help Michigan pitching.

After not having advanced past Single-A, as a 26-year-old, he retired as a player and began his coaching career in the San Diego Padres organization. After his one year coaching the Padres Double-A affiliate, he served two years as a scout for the Angels organization before serving one year as the pitching coach for Ball State University.

That’s when the Dodgers came calling thereby changing the trajectory of his career. In 2016, the Dodgers split the minor league coordinator position giving one of those roles to Fetter. With the Dodgers, Fetter, who had once believed himself well versed in analytics, because well engrossed in analytics at the highest possible level.

For a Michigan program working on installing TrackMan, Fetter made a ton of sense. His experience with it extended far beyond just getting the input. With the Dodgers, he learned how to analyze the team and translate it into practical application. He combined that with his own personal experiences to help Michigan pitch their way to their first College World Series appearance in 35 years.

Now, after helping his alma mater reach the highest levels they have reached in quite some time, another Michigan alum, Fred Wilpon, has shown interest in hiring him much in the same way Wilpon had reached out to Mike Barwis, who was then Michigan’s Director of Strength and Conditioning.

What They Say

Erik Bakich: “He’s a star. He’s really good. He’d be elite at every level.” (Tony Paul, The Detroit News).

Rich Maloney: “Coach Fetter did a fantastic job in the short time he was here. When we hired him, we knew at some point this would happen. I always believed he was a rising star in this profession. He will leave a lasting impression on our pitching staff as they have benefited greatly from being with him. We wish Chris and Jess a tremendous career in Major League Baseball.” (Ball State Sports).

Recommendation

The Mets have a dilemma here. When they hired Carlos Beltran as their manager, they put an increased emphasis on surrounding him with experienced Major League coaches to help guide and mold him. The question for Beltran and the Mets is, at what point do you take another risk on a coach who could provide an enormous positive impact despite his inexperience?

Perhaps, Fetter is worthy of the gamble. While his pitching coach experience is almost exclusively at the college level, he has spent time in the Dodgers organization. There, he learned not just what they know, but if hired by the Mets, he will soon be able to learn what the Mets don’t know. That is of vital importance to a team that is trying to improve analytically.

Fetter is drawing significant interest from a number of teams because he is viewed as a rising star, and we have seen him have a practical impact on young pitchers. He knows what he is doing. The only question is whether he can do it with Major League pitchers. It’s a gamble, but in the end, hiring him is one well worth taking.