MLB COACH OF THE YEAR CHRIS FETTER, TIGERS

Chris Fetter applies all the right touches to a Tigers pitching staff that clawed its way toward the top

- J.J. COOPER

Chris Fetter always loved coaching. But he was well aware that his coaching career, as he saw it, had a ceiling.

He had a knack for relating to pitchers. He had a good eye. He loved working with data to discover ways to help pitchers improve.

Fetter experienced success at Michigan, where he made the Freshman All-America second team in 2006. Drafted by the Padres in the ninth round in 2009, he topped out at High-A, spending parts of three seasons with Lake Elsinore.

As Fetter saw it, that limited his realistic dreams. When his playing career was over, he became a pro scout for the Angels.

“My wife asked me, ‘Hey, is coaching the big leagues ever something that you would want to do?’ ” Fetter said. “And I told her flat out: ‘I didn’t play in the big leagues. I didn’t have that experience. It’s not something that’s in the cards for me.’

“Would I want to be a coach at the college level? Sure.” Those around Fetter for more than a few moments thought differently.

He went to Ball State in 2016 as the pitching coach, where he worked with future big leaguer Zach Plesac. After a year, the Dodgers hired him to be their minor league pitching coordinator in 2017.

It was a dream job in many ways, but after one year he was back in college. Michigan, his alma mater, hired him as pitching coach.

When Fetter was hired by head coach Erik Bakich in 2018, Michigan had not reached Omaha since 1984. The Wolverines had made one super regionals appearance since then, back in 2007.