Pirates A to Z: Carson Fulmer hopes to make his mark in bullpen in second stint with Pirates

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Anthony Alford to pitcher Trevor Williams. (The only MLB player with a surname that starts with Z is Detroit Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmerman).

Carson Fulmer

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 26

Height: 6 foot

Weight: 215 pounds

2020 MLB statistics: 0-0, 4.35 ERA/1.258 WHIP with 11 strikeouts and five walks in 10 1/3 innings over 10 games.

Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration.

Acquired: Claimed by Pirates off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles in September.

This past season: Fulmer played for three teams last season and, despite being claimed off waivers twice, the Pirates weren’t one of them. Fulmer went to spring training with the Chicago White Sox, appeared in seven games with the Detroit Tigers and three with the Orioles.

But he didn’t pitch for the Pirates.

Fulmer was waived when he got caught in a numbers game as Joe Musgrove came off the injured list on Sept. 2, just days after almost being dealt to Toronto at the MLB trade deadline.

That had to be humbling for the former first-round pick, selected No. 8 overall by the Chicago White Sox in 2015 after starring at Vanderbilt. His college success was attractive to the Pirates, as manager Derek Shelton called Vandy’s pitching program “very advanced,” especially when it comes to understanding body movement and pitch usage.

“We’re trying to rekindle a little bit of what people saw why he was a No. 1 pick,” Shelton said.

Carson Fulmer, 94mph Two Seam Fastball Movement. pic.twitter.com/b1knTxmo16

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 10, 2017

So is Fulmer, who was quick to admit that he hasn’t been “the pitcher that I was touted to be, or the pitcher I wanted to be.”

Fulmer blamed his problems as a pro on mechanics, saying his success in college depended on deception. Where Fulmer was “really big” on having a preset foot, drawing from David Price, switching to a wind-up backfired because Fulmer felt disconnected and saw his velocity drop.

“A lot of people didn’t like my delivery,” Fulmer said. “My stuff was always there and I’m a very confident individual (who) that loves to compete. I think that that was what got me to this position here.

When you get into pro ball, you buy into a lot of stuff. I’m always trying to be the best that I can, in terms of my mechanics. I bought into some of the stuff that didn’t really work out for me. Working on a craft every day, you create certain habits that are really hard to break.”

While Fulmer was trying to rediscover what made him a top prospect and attempting to return to a simplified approach, he bounced from the Tigers to the Pirates to the Orioles and back to the Pirates. Some stability could do wonders for his future, if he has still one.

The future: After spending six days with the Pirates, Fulmer was singing the praises of pitching coach Oscar Marin and returning to using Driveline, the data-driven development program.

“Being here with Oscar and him kind of having the same kind of routine and things like Driveline that I was so big on in college and early on in my professional career (will help),” Fulmer said. “I think this is going to be a really good match for me and I’m gonna get back to having that deception and get back on track to be where I was. I think the sky’s the limit. … This is a great opportunity to build (upon), in terms of my career and get me moving in the right direction.”

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Fulmer will be used in a relief role, and the club is hoping for Chris Stratton-like results. Fulmer has been a starter, a reliever and a closer in his career, with mixed results.

Carson #Fulmer looked great today. 4 batters 3K’s (ꓘ K ꓘ) #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/Aa9rxnrHGt

— Ian Eskridge (@ieskridge) March 10, 2020

Fulmer has a four-pitch repertoire — four-seam fastball, cutter, curveball and changeup – and while his spin rate is above average, the velocity on his fastball slipped from 93.6 mph in 2019 to 92.5 last season. Cherington said the Pirates are “encouraged” by Fulmer’s approach.

“We still see opportunity for him to figure it out at the major league level,” Cherington said. “He’s really competitive. I’ve known him since college. I think he’s a guy that maybe the shutdown impacted a little bit because the velo was down a little bit, even when he was with other teams this year. He probably needs that velo, and I think he recognizes that. … Just another guy with good-stuff potential. Potential, we think, to be a good major-league relief pitcher and a good competitor and a team guy. So we’re looking forward to working with him.”

Check out the entire Pirates A to Z series here.