Stephen Fife, who pitched for the Utes from 2007-08, joins this edition of Utes Insider presented by Pepsi talk about his long career in baseball that ended in 2018 as well as his thoughts on what pro ball will look like this season.
 
Fife transferred to Utah from the junior college ranks and went 13-7 with 131 strikeouts in 155 innings over two seasons. Taken in the third round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox, Fife spent the next 11 years in professional baseball, including the parts of three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
 
During our interview, Fife looks back at some of the early days of his life in baseball, which included a trip to the Little League World Series. After not receiving much interest from Division I teams coming out of high school, Fife started his collegiate career at Everett Community College north of Seattle. He joined the Utes for his sophomore season in 2007, going 6-2 with a 4.43 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 63 innings. As a junior in 2008, Fife went 7-5 with a 3.72 ERA and a team-high 78 strikeouts in 92 innings. In our conversation, Fife recalls pitching in college against eventual No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg of San Diego State in 2008, and how his performance that night in front of nearly 40 professional scouts raised his profile heading into the 2008 MLB Draft.
 
After working his way through the minor leagues with the Red Sox, Fife was traded to the Dodgers in July of 2011. He made his major league debut with Los Angeles on July 17, 2012 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium. While spending parts of the net three years in the majors, Fife had a 4-6 record with a 3.66 ERA. After an arm injury and Tommy John surgery forced him to sit out the 2015 season, Fife spent the next three years in AAA with the Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins and Cleveland Indians organizations. He also played five months in Japan.
 
Since retiring from baseball, Fife has returned to his hometown of Boise, Idaho, and works in commercial real estate. He has two boys, Austin and Grant, with his wife, Alyssa.

Here is a feature done by UtahUtes.com on Stephen Fife when he pitched with the Albuquerque Isotopes, AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in Salt Lake City in 2012.

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