Carson Fulmer outings have been looked forward to by many White Sox fans this year. Just as Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, Fulmer is a young and talented pitcher that excites many fans going forward with operation rebuild.
Can Fulmer Hang With Elite Prospects?
In spring training this year Fulmer struggled mightily, with Fulmer getting rocked over his five Cactus League starts. Fulmer threw 10.2 innings and allowed an 11.81ERA in those five starts. It had plenty of fans wondering what Fulmer’s future would be on the South Side. Perhaps a bullpen arm? Or could he pull it together and be a quality starter?
The Sox selected Fulmer in the first round, with the eighth overall selection in the 2015 MLB draft, hoping that he could be a strong rotational piece for the future. Fulmer made eight appearances out of the bullpen for the Sox in 2016 that showed an 8.49 ERA.
Five of his seven 2017 appearances on the South Side were starts, with the first a disaster in a start against the Minnesota Twins. The last four starts for Fulmer at the end of the season showed a lot more promise. Fulmer only allowed three runs in 17.1 innings of work. It seems once Carson is able to get into his groove and calm down he can be a quality starter.
With Consistency Comes Improvement
In 5 starts this year in the Major Leagues, Carson, has a 2-1 record with a 4.32 ERA. His last two outings have been impressive, as the 24-year-old has thrown 13.0 innings pitched allowing only 7 hits, 2 earned runs and striking out 6. Composure is the key for Carson and White Sox fans need to remember this young man is only 24.
Pitching Coach, Don Cooper said this about Carson:
“To write a guy off after a couple(of appearances), you’ve got to have a little patience. I’m not patient for a lot of things in life, but with pitching, I find myself more patient because it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. I had guys years and years ago that were not ready to give what everybody wanted them to do right from the get-go. Not everybody grabs a brass ring the first time around the merry go round. As a matter of fact, it’s the exception to the rule.”
One thing is for sure, Carson needs to show White Sox fans and management that he can keep the level of pitching he’s displayed over the last two starts up. With Giolito and Lopez already making their mark on the Major League roster, Fulmer needs to stay motivated and hungry if he plans on staying a starter in the future.
With the likes of Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, Dane Dunning and Alec Hansen, all right-handed pitchers in the top 100 prospects according to MLB.com, Fulmer has some stiff competition. Consistency and composure are what Fulmer will need to ensure he can keep his spot in the starting rotation for the White Sox.
