Fedde ready to reap the rewards of an ocean-sized gamble

JUPITER, Fla. -- To get what he wanted out of a lagging MLB career that looked to be coming to an end three years earlier, Erick Fedde had to move across the country, and then halfway around the world, while betting big on himself.

In essence, Fedde had to willingly be vulnerable and open himself to change. He also had to commit to putting in the kind of highly detailed and nuanced work that would dramatically alter the way he threw pitches and attacked hitters. That work came first at an Arizona pitching lab and later in Korea -- proving grounds where he revived a pitching career that was floundering after a frustrating 2022 season with Washington.

¡°There are a lot of things that go into a plan like that and then to go out and execute them and be back here [in MLB] and having success, it¡¯s awesome,¡± said Fedde of the detour he took through the Korean Baseball Organization to get back to the big leagues. ¡°[The plan] was something that you draw it up and really hope that it works out. But to then have it work out, it feels great.¡±

Now, following a successful return from Korea with the White Sox and a Deadline trade that landed him in St. Louis in 2024, Fedde is back in a familiar place in 2025. Once again, he must prove to St. Louis that he can be a pillar of its starting staff. Fedde took a strong first step toward that on Saturday, throwing a scoreless inning during the Cardinals' 7-6 loss to the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. He allowed two tough-luck singles -- a swinging-bunt tapper and a grounder that hit a baserunner -- and threw 10 of his 15 pitches for strikes.

Manager Oliver Marmol said the club is confident about the 31-year-old right-hander because of his documented history of success against unenviable odds.

¡°I had this conversation with [Fedde] three days ago, and I was giving him props because he¡¯s a guy with a calmness to him and he¡¯s quiet with not a ton of words, and you can easily mistake that as a lack of competitiveness,¡± Marmol said. ¡°The reality is he had some opportunities with different teams in the States [on Minor League deals], but he felt like the best thing for him was to go overseas, bet on himself and come back.

¡°He did that, and then he was one of the most sought-after arms at the Trade Deadline -- all by betting on himself. You only do that if there¡¯s a lot of belief and there¡¯s a lot of competitiveness inside of you. This guy cares, so having him on our side is meaningful.¡±

Following an offseason in 2022 of working to reshape his pitches -- particularly a changeup that he now relies on in tough spots -- Fedde proved his enormous potential in Korea by going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 180 1/3 innings over 30 starts. He opted for Korea over a shot in the Minor Leagues because it guaranteed him the opportunity to stay in a rotation and a runway to work on his new pitches.

These days, he regularly has pitchers asking him his feelings about pitching abroad.

¡°Everybody¡¯s path is different, but I recommend it,¡± he said. ¡°I went to Korea with two new pitches that I needed to work on and then show proof of it by throwing them over 175 innings. Luckily, it worked out perfectly for me.

¡°I enjoyed Korea. That¡¯s a place that¡¯ll always be special in my heart.¡±

Fedde¡¯s performance in Korea paved the way for him to sign a team-friendly two-year deal with the White Sox. His strong first half in Chicago led to the Cardinals trading for him.

Fedde¡¯s time with St. Louis didn¡¯t go as well as he wanted -- he was just 2-5 with a 3.72 ERA over 10 starts -- but he thinks he found the reason for the struggles while studying video with pitching coach Dusty Blake. Fedde took those suggestions to the pitching lab in Arizona, and he is now ready to unleash them on hitters in 2025.

¡°Talking to [Blake], [the goal] is getting my changeup consistency down,¡± Fedde said. ¡°That was something late in the year that wasn¡¯t the best. The nerdy term is ¡®induced vertical [break].¡¯ When I got it below a [certain mark], I gave up just one hit on that all year. The goal is improving my pitch shaping and doing that consistently. When I¡¯m not giving up hits, that¡¯s a good thing.¡±