After the White Sox traded away Dylan Cease, they were left with no established ace in the rotation. People had high hopes that Mike Soroka would return to his all-star form, but that hasn't happened. Others thought that Garrett Crochet would be a solid addition to the rotation, and he has, but one name has been better so far this season, that being Erick Fedde.
Fedde was a top prospect of the Nationals back in 2017, but unfortunately, the start to his MLB career did not go the way he wanted it, as he had a 5.41 ERA in 120 games in the major leagues. His first stint in the MLB spanned from 2017-2022.
In 2022, his last season before going overseas, he went 6-13 in 27 starts, pitching to a brutal 5.81 ERA. This underwhelming season led him to sign with the Korean Baseball Organization NC Dino's.
In Korea, something clicked for him. He changed the grips on some of his pitches and was able to develop something along the lines of a slider/sweeper, which has been his best out pitch this year. Fedde did not have this pitch in his first MLB stint, which is now a key contributor to his success. This change along with a variation in his approach of what pitches to throw led to a very successful 2023 in Korea, and now a very successful 2024 season.
In Korea, he pitched 180 innings, posting a 2.00 ERA with a very impressive .95 WHIP. He had an insane 200 to 35 strikeout to walks ratio, which is very hard to do, regardless of where you are pitching. Many wondered if these stats would transfer back to the MLB, and they definitely have.
So far this season Fedde has been fantastic. He is currently 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA. He has 50 strikeouts in 52.2 innings and a 1.05 WHIP. This is an impressive start to the season for Fedde and he looks legit out there. People figured he would do better in his return, but very few predicted this outcome.
He currently is tied for 3rd overall in pitching WAR, which has him in a tie for 1st place in the American League. This is extremely impressive, as he has more WAR than most "elite" pitchers in the league so far. This was a fantastic signing by Chris Getz and Fedde is an easy guy to root for.
While his stats are fantastic, his stuff looks great on the mound. All of his pitches have fantastic movement and he has made a lot of hitters look silly.
If Fedde continues his fantastic start, he is going to cement himself as a top-5 Cy Young Candidate. While he doesn't have the flashy strikeout numbers as some of the other big time pitchers, he has produced the same, if not better results. He will generate a ton of trade interest as the deadline nears, so it will be interesting what the White Sox want to do with him.
Fedde has given many White Sox fans a reason to watch games, as his resurgence has been fun to follow. At this point, the White Sox can likely get a top-100 prospect for him if they elect to trade him. Otherwise, he will be the ace of the rotation for the next year and a half.
