Jeff Fassero

Jeffrey Joseph Fassero (born January 5, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and minor league coach. He played for nine MLB teams and was an Opening Day starter several times for both the Montreal Expos and Seattle Mariners.

Playing career Fassero played college baseball Lincoln Land Community College in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, then for the Ole Miss Rebels. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Fassero in the 22nd round of the MLB draft. On June 13, he was one out away from a no-hitter when a ball bounced out of his glove for a hit. He allowed a two-run home run to the next batter, Jay Bell of the Pittsburgh Pirates. His final season in Montreal was his best, as he won 15 games with 222 strikeouts in 1996. He was the National League (NL) Pitcher of the Month in June and July and finished ninth in NL Cy Young Award voting. Fassero had one of his best seasons for the Mariners in . That season he posted a 16–9 win-loss record with a 3.61 ERA.

Later MLB career Fassero enjoyed some stability during his time with the Mariners, but after a mid-season waiver claim by the Texas Rangers in , he would wind up playing on eight different teams from 1999 to . He proved to no longer be effective as a regular starter, so he was moved into the bullpen. Fassero made six starts for the St. Louis Cardinals in but only won one game. The same day he was released, Fassero with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He pitched once for Arizona, throwing one perfect inning in relief.

On February 9, 2007, Fassero announced his retirement. In the winter of 2008, though, Fassero pitched with Mayos de Navojoa in the Mexican Pacific League before he retired for good.

Coaching career Fassero was hired in December 2009 as the pitching coach for the Boise Hawks, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in the Class A Short Season Northwest League. For the 2011 season, Fassero was promoted to pitching coach of the Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League. Fassero received a promotion to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies for the 2012 season.

From 2014 to 2015, Fassero was the pitching coach for the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system. He started the 2016 season as a roving pitching instructor for the Cincinnati Reds before being named pitching coach of the Triple-A Louisville Bats, taking over for the recently promoted Ted Power. Fassero coached the Bats through 2019.