Former University of Michigan pitching coach Chris Fetter is now officially the pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers, marking the first hire for the staff of new manager A.J. Hinch.
Upon hearing the news, several of his former players in Ann Arbor shared their excitement over what he’ll be bringing to the majors.
“I got chills reading it when he told me,” said Tommy Henry, now in the Diamondbacks system, “just because it’s special and I’m excited to see him in a big-league uniform doing his thing and continuing to make an impact on the pitchers at the highest level.”
“This was something we expected to happen,” said Jeff Criswell, now in the Oakland A’s organization. “We knew this was a real possibility for Coach Fetter, and I think everyone backs him and supports him in doing it.”
For Criswell, the fact that Fetter took time to establish relationships with his players was what especially stood out.
“When he started his journey at Michigan, it seemed like one of the most important things to him was, first, establishing a relationship with his players,” Criswell said. “I think coming in as a new coach it’s easy to make quick changes and quick adjustments. Coach Fetter I think really, really focused on establishing relationships with guys first and kind of building that trust.”
“I always felt like Coach Fetter was incredibly present every time I was speaking to him, no matter if it was about my mechanics, pitch development, pitch sequencing, whatever the conversation was that we were having,” Criswell continued. “He’s an incredibly present person. He gives you his undivided attention, and I think that’s something that’s really important when teaching and when learning and things of that nature.”
Fetter led the Wolverines to the 2019 College World Series as pitching coach.
– – Quotes via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic Link – –