The Curious Case of Carson Fulmer
During the course of a Big League season, there are several moves that go unpublicized as teams shuffle around their rosters. Whether it is a Minor Leaguer let go, or a small waiver claim, most of these moves are meant to help add or subtract depth from the Minor Leagues. However, there was one move during the 2020 season that was publicized, but never really made much headway. On August 24th, 2020, the Pirates claimed right-handed pitcher Carson Fulmer off waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Fulmer was on the Pirate's active roster for a total of three days but never saw any Big League action. Joe Musgrove was coming back from the injured list, and Fulmer was the off man out as he was DFA'd by the Pirates on September 2nd, 2020.
Fulmer was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles, and pitched in three games, before being DFA'd again three days later. The Pirates reclaimed Fulmer at the end of 2020, but once again he never saw Big League action before the season was over. There were plenty of chances for the Pirates to DFA Fulmer again this off-season as they were setting their 40-man roster, but he stayed. The Pirates see something in the 27-year-old, and it looks like he will be given a chance to compete for a bullpen spot in Spring Training. Fulmer has experience under his belt, having spent parts of the last five seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Baltimore Orioles, and is looking to find himself in 2021. We look at Fulmer's past to see what he can bring to the future for the Pirates in 2021.
A Wild Ride in 2020
To say that 2020 was a roller coaster ride for Carson Fulmer would be an understatement. It all started in 2019 when Fulmer had to miss a month at the end of the season when he strained his right hamstring. Fulmer was coming out of the White Sox bullpen and had a 5.30 ERA in 15 games. He was on a hot streak having allowed just one earned run over three outings, but then had to miss a month with the injury. When he came back, he wasn't the same as he posted an 8.31 ERA in September. He broke Spring Training with the White Sox but was designated for assignment before the season began. Luckily, the Detroit Tigers needed some bullpen help and they claimed Fulmer and put him on their Opening Day roster in the bullpen.
He was a member of the Tigers bullpen, and his debut went well on July 27th as he threw a scoreless inning against the Kansas City Royals. However, it all went downhill from there as Fulmer posted a 6.75 ERA in seven games for the Tigers before being DFA'd. After he spent his first short spell with the Pirates, he was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles, where he found some success. He appeared in three games during September for the Orioles and did not allow a run in 3.2 innings of work out of the bullpen. In fact, he didn't allow a single hit with the only two base runners allowed coming on walks. He struck out four batters during the stint and showed improvement from his early 2020 numbers.
He would finish 2020 being designated for assignment for the fourth time that year as the Orioles sent him packing. The Pirates picked him up again on September 21st and put him on the Big League roster on September 28th, but once again never saw action. It looked as if Fulmer might have turned a corner during his time with the Orioles, and the Pirates must have seen something they liked. At 27-years-old, Fulmer still has time to develop into a full-time Major League pitcher. It looks as though he is going to get another shot at cracking the Pirates bullpen in 2021 as he looks to be part of the next wave of Pirates bullpen talent.
What Fulmer Brings in 2021
While Carson Fulmer went through a wild ride in 2020, he did show some positives that the Pirates can work with. He features a fastball that hits in the low-90s, and three breaking pitches to build off of, with his best of the three being his change-up. He is still trying to find his out pitch, and he doesn't have the luxury of high heat to blow the ball by pitchers. Instead, he has to rely on his control and locating pitches to get outs on the mound. This is where Fulmer has run into trouble in his career, as he has yet to post a walk percentage in the single digits. However, 2020 was a career-year for Fulmer in terms of control as he walked a career-low 10.9% of batters he faced. Couple this with a career-high 23.9% strikeout rate and it shows that Fulmer may be ready to turn a corner in 2021.
One thing Fulmer has always been good at is keeping the ball down in the zone and forcing groundballs. Last season, Fulmer had a groundball percentage of 53.6%, another career-high for the right-hander. Because of this, Fulmer allowed a hard-hit percentage of just 39.3%, and opponents hit a career-low .205 against him. His fastball and his change-up are his most used pitches and he likes to use them in tandem, changing the eye level of the batter on a consistent basis. Early in the count, he uses his fastball to get ahead and likes to work it high in the zone. Then, he drops in his change-up at the lower part of the zone to get batters to swing over top of the ball, causing them to pound it into the ground. Of the two pitches, his change-up generates the least contact with an opponent batting average of .167 while the fastball has an average against of .188.
Looking ahead to 2021, the Pirates bullpen is still very much up in the air, with nobody other than Richard Rodriguez having a spot locked down. If Fulmer has a good showing in Spring Training, he could very well earn himself a spot for 2021. He made the Tigers opening day roster last season and is looking to do the same for the Pirates this season. If Fulmer can work on his control and continue his progress from 2020, there is a good chance the Pirates could have a gem. Also, Fulmer fits the Pirates youth movement as he just turned 27-years-old earlier this month. Fulmer is looking for consistency in 2021, and the Pirates could be the team that provides that for him.
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