Chad Fox story

[WildMarlinMan2003]

What a great guy.

 

 

03/23/2004 10:18 AM ET

Fox finds comfort level in Florida

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com Tickets Scoreboard Fantasy

 

 

Chad Fox went 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 21 games for Florida last year. (Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)

 

 

 

JUPITER, Fla. -- Compatibility and loyalty are two reasons why reliever Chad Fox eagerly re-signed with the Marlins this past offseason.

As a free agent, Fox was tempted by offers to pitch elsewhere. Specifically, the Astros were intriguing, as the right-hander is from the Houston suburb of Spring.

 

The Astros also were appealing because they upgraded their rotation with the additions of Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, and there was an opportunity in the bullpen with the trade of closer Billy Wagner to the Phillies.

 

Even though going to Houston would have meant pitching at home, Fox's heart was in South Florida.

 

In almost seven years in the Major Leagues, Fox has never felt as comfortable in a situation as he was with the Marlins last year. He enjoyed the chemistry in the clubhouse and pitching for manager Jack McKeon. So when Florida stepped up and offered nearly $1.3 million for one season, he gladly accepted the chance to return and try to help the team defend its World Series title.

 

"The whole fit," said Fox of why he is back. "I love pitching for Jack. I love this organization, the way they treat their players. The way the owners walk around here, they make you feel like you belong here. I've never been treated like this anywhere else."

 

The relaxed Marlins clubhouse greatly differed from the high-tension atmosphere that the right-hander encountered last year when he was with the Red Sox.

 

Fox started the 2003 season with the Red Sox, but after he blew a save on Opening Day, he never quite fit in Boston's closer-by-committee approach. He appeared in 17 games for the Red Sox, going 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA and three saves in five opportunities.

 

"In Boston there was so much pressure on every pitch you threw," he said. "If you weren't perfect on every pitch, it was coming from the top all the way down. It's hard to perform your best that way -- for me, anyway. When I got here, it was just an extremely comfortable situation. And I think that when I'm comfortable I do my best.

 

"So when the offseason rolled around, people may have said, 'Why didn't you want to pitch at home?' Yeah, I wanted to pitch at home, but this was my first choice. I wanted to come back here bad, because I knew this was a perfect fit. I'm very comfortable with my bosses. [They] make me feel very comfortable. They believe in me. There is a lot to be said about that."

 

The Marlins are counting on Fox to be their primary setup man, in the eighth inning, before the ball is handed to closer Armando Benitez in the ninth.

 

Fox joined the Marlins last August after Boston released him on July 31. With his 95-plus-mph fastball and hard-breaking slider, he went 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 21 games for Florida. He worked 25 1/3 innings, and opponents hit .190 against him.

 

In many ways, he was as significant a pickup as fellow reliever Ugueth Urbina, who split the closer role with Braden Looper late in the year and in the playoffs.

 

At 33, Fox has enjoyed an up-and-down career marred by two Tommy John surgeries and a fractured right elbow.

 

With all his body has been through, staying healthy is his primary goal. If he does, he knows he has a chance to eclipse his personal-best season of 65 appearances made with the Brewers in 2001, when he was 5-2 with a 1.89 ERA.

 

"Last year taught me a lot about myself and everything," he said. "Through my injuries, I've learned not to take things for granted, healthwise. Being healthy somewhat last year and being released, you don't know. This year I'm going to stay as positive as I can. I know every day is not going to be perfect out there. I'm going to go out there and give it all I've got, because you never know when you come in the next day if you will be gone."

 

In Boston, Fox said, the expectation level was so enormous that the team treated every loss as if it were a major letdown.

 

"In their eyes, you have to be perfect every day," he said. "You tell me a hitter who has gone up there and gotten a hit every time. Or a pitcher who has thrown a perfect inning every time."

 

What Fox likes about McKeon is that win or lose, his temperament is the same.

 

"Jack just makes you feel that as soon as that day is over, it's over, regardless if it's good or bad," said Fox. "With Jack, you know if you have a bad day or a couple of bad days, he is not just going to throw you under the bus. This team believes in you. You can read some of the stuff Jack has written. He knows what we're capable of doing. He knows we're not going to be perfect. He just has a way of all of a sudden making you believe in yourself."

[Fishin2004]

i live in NYC, so i haven't been able to see Fox in person, only see his spring training stats. 10 k's, 2.25 ERA in 8 innnings pitched.....look pretty solid. to anyone who has been able to see some of the action - has his stuff looked as sharp as last year? that would be tremendous!

[farmer_fran]

i live in NYC, so i haven't been able to see Fox in person, only see his spring training stats. 10 k's, 2.25 ERA in 8 innnings pitched.....look pretty solid. to anyone who has been able to see some of the action - has his stuff looked as sharp as last year? that would be tremendous!

He pitched in the game I saw and he looked very strong.

 

We did him a favor last year when no one seemed to want him and he showed a loyalty to the team, unlike one of our former players. Fox is a gamer and I think he's going to have a breakout season this year.

[CapeFish]

In the game here in Fort Myers, he was impressive his first inning, but the later he got, the worse he got.

[QuickGold]

God, does Houston's recruitment program base itself soley on the fact of its location to Houston natives?