Fedde looking forward to making fresh start with White Sox
Pitching for the Nationals, Erick Fedde started the final game of the 2022 season.
After giving up 9 runs on 9 hits over just 2.1 innings in a loss to the Mets, the right-hander finished the year with a 6-13 record and 5.81 ERA. Washington non-tendered it’s former first round draft pick a month later and Fedde’s future looked anything but bright.
“That last year, the reality was, unfortunately, that year in spring training I had a little hiccup with health,” Fedde said on a Zoom call Thursday. “I just felt like I was behind the 8-ball from the beginning. I never really felt truly healthy. It was tough, my velocity was down, things weren’t sharp.
“It felt like rather than really focusing on being my best, it was just trying to get ready to go out there every five days and that’s not a fun place to be when it’s a long season.”
Looking for a fresh start with the NC Dinos in Korea last season, Fedde stayed healthy while adding a sweeper and improving his changeup. The 30-year-old starter wound up going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and that attracted interest from multiple major-league teams.
Fedde wound up choosing the White Sox and he’s back in the big leagues on a two-year, $15 million contract.
“Obviously a great offer on the table,” Fedde said. “And talking with (manager) Pedro (Grifol) and (pitching coach Ethan) Katz and (general manager Chris) Getz, just talking about starting a new culture there, it’s a place I felt I could get into the rotation and help the squad be better and be part of the rebuilding of that rotation for sure.”
Coming off a 101-loss season, the Sox’s starting five needs a lot of help.
Current ace Dylan Cease is attracting strong trade interest, Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn were dealt in July and Michael Kopech has knee surgery at the end of a dismal season.
If Fedde is anywhere close to being as good as he was in a one-year stay in Korea, he’ll help the White Sox.
“I really believe it’s going to translate well,” Fedde said. “The biggest thing is my last year in (Washington), I was not feeling as amazing as I do now. I feel strong, I feel healthy. To me, my velocity is back. I feel there’s a sharpness to my pitches that I just didn’t have there at the end of my career.
“I’ve been lucky enough to pitch in the big leagues and I know what it takes to get outs, get swings and misses and be successful. I think I have a lot of confidence thinking that with what I have now, I can do that.”