Baseball, at times, can be a complicated sport. Yet baseball, at its simplest, is won by whichever team scores more runs than the other. And, going a step further, to score relatively more runs, one needs to either score enough runs on offense or limit the other team in scoring runs.
The Detroit Tigers, at least in recent years, have excelled in at least half of that: limiting the other teams’ scoring. A lot of the Tigers’ pitching success in that department can be attributed to pitching coach Chris Fetter and his unique ability to maximize a pitcher’s potential.
From top draft picks like Casey Mize to late-round draft picks like Tarik Skubal to waiver claims discarded by other teams like Tyler Holton and even international free agents like Keider Montero. Fetter, and the Tigers have turned them all into key pitchers.
From helping his pitchers adjust the way they stand, the motion of their windups, the way they grip and spin certain pitches, and even which pitches they throw, Fetter has helped the Tigers pitchers add velocity to their pitchers and add or tweak the breaking movement of their pitches.
One prominent turnaround has been that of Beau Brieske. The 26-year-old 27th-round draft pick of the Tigers debuted in 2022 as a starting pitcher, and he remained in that role for close to two seasons. Before the 2024 season, Brieske transitioned to a full-time reliever before the 2024 season. Brieske, under the tutelage of Fetter, added velocity to his fastball, and the speed difference of his pitching arsenal became more pronounced and more disorienting, and more difficult for hitters to size up and make good contact on. As a result, Brieske rapidly gained the trust of both Fetter and the rest of us the Tigers management. As a result of his improved dependability, Brieske quickly rose through the Tigers ranks and quickly became one of the team’s more high-leverage pitchers reserved for key situations.
Another example of a Fetter project is Reese Olson, originally a 2018 draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers. Aqueduct by the Tigers in 2021, the starting pitcher has always led the way with his fastball. The now 25-year-old, after depending largely on his fastball through the minor leagues, has improved his slider under the tutelage of Fetter and is now one of the Tigers’ more dependable starters.
Brieske and Olson haven’t been the only ones to benefit from this Fetter effect, it’s been any pitcher Fetter has touched. The pitching staff is undoubtedly the reason why the 2024 Tigers made the playoffs, and as long as Fetter is around, the success is expected to continue.
