Why the Rangers' Doug Fister is happy he signed early on this off-season

Jake Arrieta hasn’t found a home yet despite winning the Cy Young three years ago. Neither has Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb.

Doug Fister didn’t want to go through something similar and sweat out free agency even though he had no delusions of landing a mega-deal such as the aforementioned players are seeking.

For Fister, the opportunity to secure a spot early in free agency justified taking a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Texas Rangers on Nov. 28. He became the first free agent to sign and isn’t looking back.

“Regardless of the market, to be honest with you, I was pleased that I signed early,” Fister said. “It made for a great off-season of being prepared and able to get out there and do my work knowing where I’m going to go.

“It allowed me to stay in contact with (pitching coach Doug Brocail), stay on a schedule, get in the weight room and throwing program and all of the above just to be ready for the season.”

Fister knows what it’s like to sit around and wait for a deal. He went through it the previous off-season before signing with the Los Angeles Angels on May 20.

Fister opted out of his minor league contract with Angels a month later and eventually found a spot in the Boston Red Sox rotation. He ended up making 18 appearances, including 15 starts, with Boston, but posted the highest ERA (4.88) of his career.

He had no intentions of going through that process again. Fister recalled staying in pitching shape by throwing five innings against the Fresno State baseball team every five days when he was unemployed.

“Technically, I didn’t throw 30 starts (in the big leagues last season), but at the same time I still threw 30 starts off the books,” said Fister, who pitched two seasons at Fresno State (2005-06).

With that being said, Fister knew the importance of signing early this off-season.

“That side of the business thing is not my cup of tea,” Fister said. “I’d rather go out there and play baseball. So a great opportunity came around for me and I was blessed and happy to take it.”

Fister is focused on being a staple in the Rangers' rotation this season and took another step toward getting ready for it Friday morning on the back fields of the Surprise Recreation Campus. He threw a simulated game, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Fister threw 60 pitches, including 40 strikes. He struck out four and walked two.

"It's about logging in time for these guys," manager Jeff Banister said. "Spring training for veterans like that, I evaluate them by how they walk around the clubhouse and their health."

Said catcher Jose Trevino: “He was really good. Everything was working. The sinker was moving well.”

That’s a good sign for Fister and the Rangers.

Fister is known for his quality sinker, inducing a number of ground ball outs. His best games for the Red Sox last season were when he had at least double-digit groundballs.

Over a seven game stretch last season, Fister went 5-2 with a 2.79 ERA in which he induced at least 11 ground balls in six of those games. Included in that stretch was a one-run, complete-game effort that featured 12 ground balls at Cleveland.

Asked about his sinker, Fister said, “As of right now, it’s doing what I want it to do. My misses are fairly small and I think that’s a good sign for me.

“It’s not midseason form yet, but that’s OK because we’re still in March. But I think it’s on a good timeline right now.”

Fister also continues to work on his rhythm. He prides himself on being a quick pitcher who doesn’t spend time over-thinking certain pitch selections.

All in all, Fister described it as “not a bad day.”

It definitely beats sitting at home unemployed waiting on a phone call.

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Why the Rangers' Doug Fister is happy he signed early on this off-season."