DETROIT — On the surface, it seems like not much has changed with Andrew Chafin. There he was Thursday on a video call with local media, smiling away, clad in a trucker cap and sporting a bushy offseason beard.
He has been working on his Ohio farm this offseason per usual. On most days, he wakes up at 4 a.m. and heads to his shop, where he drinks a few cups of coffee and prepares for the day.
“Go through emails and all the dumb stuff you’ve got to do,” Chafin said.
Then it’s onto whatever tasks need to be crossed off the list. Most recently, he is building a new house. He didn’t want to pay someone to do the excavation work, so he’s been driving around moving dirt from the backyard to the front yard and leveling the whole thing out.
“Went out, got a big ol’ dump truck and a bigger excavator, and it’s been working in the dirt, not playing,” Chafin said. “Working in the dirt.”
On another of Chafin’s properties, he and his wife plan to open a wedding venue. Goofy as Chafin can come across, he is a natural engineer and a savvy entrepreneur, not to mention a veteran left-handed relief pitcher.
“Today I’ve been working on a go-kart, getting it fixed,” Chafin said.
So yeah, easy to assume the Andrew Chafin who will pitch for the Detroit Tigers in 2024 is…
