Carson Fulmer

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #13 prospect in 2018
  Fulmer's highly successful college career at Vanderbilt included a College World Series championship in 2014 and First Team All-America selection in 2015. The White Sox used their first-round pick on him in 2015 and put him on a fast track to the major leagues. He made his big league debut on July 17, 2016, barely 13 months after he was drafted. It's been a rocky road since then for Fulmer, who was used as both a reliever and a starter in the big leagues but pitched exclusively out of the rotation at Triple-A Charlotte in 2017. He's toned down his high-effort delivery since he turned pro, including reducing his hand pump and eliminating a stab in the back of his motion. It's still rushed, but less so than it was at Vanderbilt. Fulmer's fastball sat between 89-93 mph in 2017 with Charlotte, and he mixed in a heavy dose of cutters as well. He also showed an inconsistent but promising curveball and a below-average changeup. Fulmer still has a chance to find a spot at the back of a rotation, but there's a better chance he winds up as a middle reliever. He'll have a chance to earn a place with the big club in spring training, but he could wind up back at Charlotte to start 2018.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #7 prospect in 2017
  Fulmer was a three-year mainstay at Vanderbilt, blossoming into the ace of the staff in 2015. He consistently dominated competition that spring. In his first full pro season, he struggled early but earned a month-long cameo in the White Sox bullpen. Fulmer's long-term role remains undefined, but late-season adjustments may allow him to make it as a starter. His plus fastball sat at 92-93 mph and touched 95 out of the bullpen. His above-average curveball showed more consistent top-to-bottom shape, but it lacked the power spin it showed in college. Fulmer showed an improved, potentially above-average changeup in 2016, and he was able to throw it for strikes to both righthanders and lefthanders. He also throws an average short cutter. He struggled to control his pitches for most of the season, so he toned down his exaggerated leg kick out front, keeping his lower leg back along with his knee and hip. This adjustment had him staying more balanced over the rubber and repeating his release point better. Fulmer projects as a No. 3 starter if his late-season progress holds--and a late-inning reliever if it doesn't. He's likely ticketed to start 2017 at Triple-A Charlotte.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #2 prospect in 2016
  Fulmer, who attended high school in Winter Haven, Fla., served as an integral part of Vanderbilt's top-rated 2013 recruiting class that also included shortstop Dansby Swanson and righthander Walker Buehler. That trio guided the Commodores to the College World Series title in 2014 and a runner-up finish in 2015, and all three went in the first round of the 2015 draft. Fulmer, the most dominant starter on Vandy's CWS teams and the second-best pitcher available in the 2015 draft, landed with the White Sox at No. 8 overall and signed for $3,470,600. Fulmer turned pro early enough to make eight starts at high Class A Winston-Salem, where he struck out 25 batters in 22 innings. He throws two plus pitches, beginning with a 92-95 mph fastball that has reached 97 and often concluding with a power curveball that scrapes the low 80s. He flashed an effective changeup in college but needs to throw it more in pro ball. While many scouts see Fulmer as a starter, others project him to the bullpen, where he began his Vanderbilt career, because he lacks command and his quick, jumpy delivery features enough effort to inhibit control. (He walked 3.9 batters per nine innings for his college career.) He also is considered short for a righthanded starter at about 6 feet, but he has a sturdy lower half and maintains his velocity late into games. The White Sox love Fulmer's competitive makeup, and they haven't tried to alter his mechanics so much as they have stressed staying tall and maintaining angle on his pitches. The White Sox have selected college pitchers with three of the organization's five first-round picks since 2010, coming away with Chris Sale in 2010, Carlos Rodon in 2014 and Fulmer in 2015. That trio could form the backbone of the big league rotation, possibly by 2017, if Fulmer can iron out his command and reach his ceiling as a No. 2 starter. Or given his repertoire and makeup, he could serve as a high-leverage reliever. He will begin 2016 at Double-A Birmingham.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #6 prospect in 2015 draft
  Fulmer began his college career as Vanderbilt's closer before transitioning to the rotation in the middle of his sophomore season, helping lead the Commodores to their first-ever national championship. After a successful stint with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, he became Vanderbilt's No. 1 starter as a junior and continued to dominate opponents. Despite his outstanding track record, scouts remain mixed on Fulmer. Listed at 6-feet, 195 pounds, he is undersized for a righthander and has an effortful, high-energy delivery. Those factors lead some to see him as a future reliever. But he has a starter's arsenal and has excelled in that role, both for Vanderbilt and Team USA. His fastball sits in the mid 90s, regularly reaching 97 mph, and he holds his velocity deep into games. His power curveball can be a plus pitch and his changeup has above-average potential. He has improved his control this year, but his delivery means he will likely never have better than average command. He earns praise for his makeup and work ethic. Some team will likely give Fulmer a chance to start and hope he can follow fellow Vanderbilt product Sonny Gray's path to success as a big league starter despite his stature. But if a team sends out Fulmer as a reliever, he could fly through the minor leagues.
• Ranked #123 prospect in 2012 draft
  Fulmer pitched with Walker Weickel, Jesse Winker and Nick Travieso as part of a Florida quartet of pitchers on USA Baseball's 18-and-under squad last November, winning the gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Columbia. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Fulmer has athletic ability and strength but lacks a premium pitcher's frame. He does have premium stuff, with one of the best fastballs in the country. He has effort in his delivery but sits in the 92-93 mph range and regularly hits 95. At times, his breaking ball gives him a second plus pitch; it's a power slider that can reach the low 80s. Fulmer uses his thick lower half well in his delivery and harnesses his stuff to throw strikes, though he lacks true command. He has flashed a solid if firm change in the low 80s but will need to develop it more at higher levels. The effort in his delivery includes a bit of a head whack, and at times Fulmer backs off the velocity to find the zone more. He has shown some feel for pitching as well as competitiveness. A Vanderbilt signee, Fulmer will be a tough read in terms of his signability, but most scouts thought he was leaning toward playing pro ball.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Southern League #20 prospect in 2016
  An integral part of two Vanderbilt teams that reached the College World Series finals and the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft by the White Sox, Fulmer jumped on the same fast track as Chicago first-rounders Chris Sale and Carlos Rodon before him. Fulmer opened his full-season debut with 17 starts at Birmingham before being summoned to the majors on July 17 to work as a reliever. He finished the year with four starts at Triple-A Charlotte after serving up 21 baserunners in 12 big league innings. Fulmer faces control questions but has big stuff, including the best breaking pitch in the SL, according to managers. His 79-81 mph curveball features big breaking action and generates a high swinging-strike rate, especially when thrown as a two-strike chase pitch. His 89-91 mph cutter has smaller break but produces a similar effect. He pitches at 92-93 mph and tops out at 95 and sells an effective changeup, but he throws so few first-pitch strikes that he doesn't often get to surprise batters with his offspeed pitchers. Some critics say that Fulmer's delivery, which is high-effort and finishes violently, lacks deception and thus his offspeed pitches are easy to read out of his hand. This enables batters to sit on his fastball. While Fulmer improved his control during the SL season--he walked 3.7 per nine innings in his final seven starts there--he lacks fastball command and could face a permanent shift to the bullpen, where he could develop into a closer.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #70 prospect in 2016

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Fulmer was a three-year contributor at Vanderbilt, blossoming into the ace of the staff in 2015. He consistently dominated competition that spring. In his first full pro season, he struggled early but earned a month-long cameo in the White Sox bullpen.
  
  Scouting Report: Fulmer's long-term role remains undefined, but late-season adjustments may allow him to make it as a starter. His plus fastball sat at 92-93 mph and touched as high as 95 out of the big league bullpen. His above-average curveball showed more consistent top-to-bottom shape, but it lacked the power spin that it showed in college. Fulmer showed an improved, potentially above-average changeup in 2016, and he was able to throw it for strikes to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. He also throws an average short cutter. He struggled to control his pitches for most of the season. Fulmer toned down his exaggerated leg kick out front, keeping his lower leg back along with his knee and hip. This adjustment had him staying more balanced over the rubber and repeating his release point better.
  
  The Future: Fulmer projects as a No. 3 starter if his late-season progress holds--and a late-inning reliever if it doesn't. He's likely ticketed to start 2017 at Triple-A Charlotte.