Saturday, October 31, 2026
39 ° Clear
39 ° Clear
Chasing pitches outside of the strike zone has long been a problem for the Phillies’ offense as a whole. In 2026, the Phillies had a 32.6% chase rate, fourth-worst across the major leagues.
Where some might see a problem, however, new hitting coach Peter Fatse sees something else.
“I think it’s an opportunity for sure,” Fatse said via Zoom to the media in his introductory press conference on Friday. “I think it’s an opportunity for this group.”
Fatse, 39, joins the Phillies after a stint with the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays, where he served as a hitting consultant. He had previously been the hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2022-2026.
In the modern age of baseball, every analytical breakdown and video angle a coach could dream of is at their disposal. With the Rays, Fatse worked primarily with KinaTrax, a source of biomechanical tracking and performance analytics. With that information at his fingertips, Fatse described how it could paint a picture of who a player is.
As a former ballplayer and current coach, however, Fatse referred to his experience with the Red Sox, working with players such as J.D. Martinez, Christian Vásquez, and Jackie Bradley Jr.
“The why is the most important part to me as a coach,” Fatse elaborated. “You have to understand why somebody does something or what has helped them throughout their career get to this point.”
In practice, this will mean an individualized approach to each hitter, focusing on their strengths and building them up from there. For a veteran like Trea Turner, Fatse sees his speed and extra-base potential as a dynamic offensive weapon. After a down year like Turner’s, Fatse explained that the right step is to build off of his strength “as a guy that he can move the ball around the ballpark.”
Then there is a young player like Justin Crawford, fresh off a rookie season where he left much to be desired. Referencing his work with young Red Sox players such as Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony, Fatse emphasized the importance of mindset and maximizing what you do well.
“You're trying to put yourself in the best possible position to have success.”
The Phillies have been one of the worst teams when it comes to pitch selection. Fatse believes the fix to this is to zoom in on what each batter is looking for when they are at the plate.
“It just comes down to the conversation around what you’re swinging at, but it’s more specifically before two strikes,” Fatse said. “How do you prioritize what parts of the zone that you want to attack and having a game plan for that? And then ultimately being able to be agile when the game tells you something, something else is needed.”
Having a game plan and knowing how to adjust when the game requires it might sound basic, but it is exactly what Fatse saw in the Milwaukee Brewers as they defeated the Rays to win the World Series.
I think the thing that just impressed me watching Milwaukee,” Fatse detailed, “it's just the tenacity. Their at-bats were just fantastic. I felt they really had this grind-you-down mentality. And again, in the playoffs, when you're facing leverage matchups night in and night out, what you swing at, again. You're facing premier stuff. You're facing the most challenging matchups. Precision is really important, and those guys obviously have a lot of precision in that lineup as well.”
While the offseason may have just officially begun, Fatse is determined to get right to work, with plans to meet with many of the Phillies’ hitters over the next several weeks.
His timeline, of course, needs to be accelerated should he want to give his hitters any homework before the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on December 1. Once the CBA expires and a lockout begins, players and team officials such as coaches will not be allowed to be in contact with each other until such a time as a new CBA is ratified.
For a coach so focused on the relational aspect of his job, that leaves Fatse with just over a month to build these relationships before what could be a long lockout.
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