The New York Yankees are reportedly taking a serious look at Michigan’s Chris Fetter to replace Larry Rothschild as pitching coach.
A message to everyone clamoring for CC Sabathia to take over as pitching coach of the New York Yankees: a real candidate has emerged.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Wednesday morning that Chris Fetter has arisen as a serious candidate for the Yankees’ pitching coach vacancy. Furthermore, the Yankees already interviewed him for the position. Fetter is currently the pitching coach at the University of Michigan.
The New York Yankees have interviewed Chris Fetter, the University of Michigan pitching coach, for their open pitching coach job, sources tell ESPN. Fetter is considered a rising star in the industry and has drawn significant interest from major league teams, including the Mets.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 30, 2019
According to Passan, Fetter is “considered a rising star in the industry”. The Yankees aren’t the only team to express interest in his services. The New York Mets, among several other teams, have also expressed interest in Fetter.
Looking forward, I’m interested to learn more about how Fetter would operate on a day-to-day basis. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how the bullpen’s overuse may have contributed to the Yankees’ eventual downfall. The Bombers have more or less fully adopted the use of “bullpen games.” This is partly based on need and partly based on the competitive advantage it provides for a single game.
Should Fetter receive the job, the first thing I would like to know is how he intends on utilizing the bullpen.
Now obviously, at the end of the day, that decision comes down to Aaron Boone. However, Boone relied heavily on Larry Rothschild to help make those decisions. It’s only logical that Fetter would have a say in the way the pitchers are run out every day.
Ultimately, Yankee fans know that Brian Cashman won’t hire Fetter unless they share the same perspective on modern-day pitching. That’s not to say Fetter would just be a mouthpiece in the dugout. It only means that he shares Cashman’s philosophies on how the pitchers should be deployed.
