Carson Fulmer Refines His Delivery At Triple-A

After an up-and-down first full season as a professional, righthander Carson Fulmer landed on stable ground.

The No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Vanderbilt, Fulmer opened last season as a starter at Double-A Birmingham.

Even though he went 4-9, 4.76 with the Barons, strongly suggesting more work was needed, the White Sox called him to Chicago to help repair a ravaged bullpen right after the all-star break.

Fulmer predictably struggled, recording a 8.49 ERA in eight relief appearances before being optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

“I got kicked around a little bit,” Fulmer said.

Wrapping up last season at Charlotte, Fulmer returned to the rotation and worked closely with Knights’ pitching coach Richard Dotson, who is now the organization’s minor league pitching coordinator.

“(Dotson) definitely helped me with staying tall and really just getting the ball down,” Fulmer said. “That’s the most important thing. Keep the ball down and you will have success.”

Back in the Charlotte rotation this season, the 23-year-old Fulmer continues to build off last season’s strong finish. Through eight starts, he went 5-2, 3.86 with 35 strikeouts and 17 walks in 44.1 innings.

“I’ve had some really good quality starts,” Fulmer said. “I’ve thrown a ton of strikes and I’ve gotten past five innings (seven times). I’m continuing to work on it.”

With the Sox gradually transitioning to a younger roster, Fulmer projects to join the starting five in 2018, if not later this season.

“Once you get a taste of (the big leagues), you want more,” Fulmer said. “As baseball players, we want to be in the big leagues. We want to stay in the big leagues.

“The experience I had last year was incredible. I learned a ton of things that have been really beneficial for me.”

— Scot Gregor covers the White Sox for the Daily Herald