Richard Fitts a Model of Consistency In Somerset Rotation

Bridgewater, New Jersey - The Double-A level of the minor leagues is widely viewed across the industry as the level that will weed out the ordinary players from the eventual big-league contributors. The Yankees, somewhat aggressively, assigned right-hander Richard Fitts to Somerset right out of spring training this past April with just five starts at High-A on his resume. The 2021 sixth-round draft selection out of Auburn had an extremely rude introduction to the Eastern League over the course of the first two months of the season; he was admittedly “punched in the face” – and then one day it all just clicked.

The Richard Fitts🪄

Ten strikeouts in six lockdown innings as the #Yankees No. 8 prospect registers his 11th quality start of the season🎟️🥊 pic.twitter.com/nOp44a1XaS

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 30, 2023

After his seventh start of the year, an outing on May 18 in which he allowed three earned runs over 3.2 innings of work against the Sea Dogs, Fitts sported a 6.21 ERA, and this new league was teeing off on him at a .286 clip.

“That outing in Portland, I went two innings and got punched in the face,” Fitts admitted. “It was absolutely really bad. From then on, I don’t know what changed in it, but I’ve had a little more success and little more confidence.”

“It was a little hard,” admitted Fitts while talking about his tough start. “But it’s a great building opportunity. We’re here to develop, we’re also here to win games. Being able to develop in the moment from a bad outing and come back the next week and win a ball game is the kind of stuff that really builds confidence while also developing character.”

Since then, the Alabama-native has tossed 10 quality starts in 12 appearances to lower his season ERA to 3.24, which ranks fifth overall in the EL. Fitts is walking an eerily similar path to one he took last season when he had an ERA as high as 7.39 at Low-A Tampa before eventually finishing 2022 with a cumulative 3.70 ERA thanks in large part to 14 strong starts in the second half of that campaign. Deja Vu.

“I think that biggest thing is just being a little bit more mature,” said Fitts. “I think I’m starting to learn who Richard Fitts is – who I am as a pitcher and how I can be a starter for many years in the big leagues.”

Well, who is Richard Fitts? The Patriots most consistent starter has established himself as a leader and a workhorse both on the mound and in the clubhouse while orchestrating one of the standout campaigns in the EL this season. Fitts leads the league in starts (19), innings pitched (106.2), wins (7), strikeouts (118) and WHIP (1.14). He is coming off a start again Bowie in which he fanned a career-high 10 batters, a feat which he has accomplished three times this season.

“The thing that always sticks out to me about Fittsy is his command,” said Patriots catcher Ben Rice. “I feel like I really don’t have to work very hard back there when he’s pitching because where I’m calling it and where I’m setting up is where he’s going to throw it. People say a catcher can make a pitcher look good, but a pitcher can make a catcher look good, and that’s what I like to say about him. He really understands the plan that he has to do to attack hitters. He just has a very, very mature approach to pitching and it’s really fun to catch.”

“I’m just kind of working on my craft every day,” said Fitts. “That’s what I’ve been working on all year, trying to be consistent. Just getting a little bit more comfortable in the environment that I’m in and being able to work on all of my pitches has helped me not have that one bad inning or outing.”

As the dog days of summer take center stage and become a factor, Fitts is on pace to obliterate his career-high for innings pitched in a season. In 2022, he threw 112 frames over 22 starts in his first season in pro-ball but entering his scheduled start on Friday night in Akron for his 20th start of the year, Fitts is already at 106.2 innings with another five weeks of regular season play remaining on the docket. Is he going to hit that proverbial wall?

“I’m feeling maybe the best I have felt all season,” Fitts said. “I feel like I have been getting better this whole season and that’s the way my body feels. I’m feeling better every week – I’m really excited for this team and just where I’m going as we move into the playoffs.”

Baseball teams rely on their best pitchers to stop the bleeding when things are not going well. On the heels of a three-game losing skid on their current road trip in Akron, Somerset will lean on the arm of Fitts on Friday night to stop the skid and set them back to their winning ways heading into their weekend stretch with the RubberDucks.