The Pirates announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Carson Fulmer off waivers from the Tigers and designated outfielder Guillermo Heredia for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster.
Pittsburgh will be the third team in 2020 to try its hand in helping Fulmer to right the ship. The 26-year-old was selected by the White Sox with the No. 8 overall pick back in 2015. At the time, the Vanderbilt star was viewed as a potential high-end starter or at the very least a high-probability late-inning reliever. But he’s struggled virtually every step of the way since Triple-A, pitching to an ugly 5.39 ERA in parts of four seasons there and a less-palatable 6.57 mark in 101 1/3 MLB frames. The Tigers claimed him last month after the White Sox designated him for assignment.
Fulmer’s average fastball in 2020 sat at 92.3 mph — a far cry from the righty’s college days, when scouting reports pegged him as touching 97 mph with regularity. He boasted elite spin rates on his four-seamer and curveball as recently as last season, though, and Fulmer did manage a career-best 12.8 percent swinging-strike rate in this year’s tiny sample of 6 2/3 innings with the Tigers. That’s about all that went right for Fulmer, but the pitching-hungry Pirates were quick to snap him up on waivers in hopes that their staff can coax something more out of him. Fulmer is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to stick on the Bucs’ big league roster or else be designated for assignment a third time.
As for Heredia, he signed a one-year, $1MM contract with the Pirates over the winter but hasn’t delivered for the club. The 29-year-old appeared in just eight games and tallied a mere 18 plate appearances earlier this year before being optioned to the club’s alternate training site. Clearly the team wasn’t happy with what it saw there.
Heredia has appeared in 390 Major League games, mostly with the Mariners, and posted a combined .239/.317/.339 batting line. As a solid outfield defender with a bit of speed and a career .275/.338/.400 batting line against lefties, he can be a useful bench piece when he’s at his best, but he won’t get that opportunity with the Pirates, it seems. Pittsburgh will have a week to trade Heredia, release him or attempt to run him through outright waivers. He’d have enough service time to reject the outright assignment, but doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary.
Fulmer has to be one of the biggest first round busts in this decade.
A lot of first-round picks don’t even make it to the Majors. If you want to say he’s had less success than most first-rounders to make it to the bigs, that’s fair, but 10 of that year’s top 30 have yet to be called up at all. And among the ones who have, several have been replacement-level fodder, just like Fulmer (Dillon Tate, Taylor Ward, DJ Stewart, Richie Martin, etc.)
I agree but it is very suprising to see Fulmer have a negative 1.2 WAR in 100 games when he was projected to be a very safe pick.
No such thing as a safe pick in the MLB draft. Projecting 3-5 years and 3-5 levels of competition in the future has a very large margin of error.
But like Mr. Adams said, just go back on Baseball Reference and look at every single first round since the draft began. There are several players with negative WAR each year and usually around 25-35% that don’t make it at all.
There are only about 10-15 players each year that gets to even 5.0 WAR for their career. The draft is nothing but a guessing game. You have to hope you get lucky.
I have to say as a White Sox fan I was sucked in a bit… He showed some potential late last year and I thought he’d break through this year. I don’t think it’s impossible to think it could happen, but he needs 1 of 2 things – either to get back the 3 or 4 mph on his fb that he has lost, or some… SOME… command. His slider is nasty, but he cannot get anything over consistently.
Yeah, I remember at the time of the draft there were questions about his long-term viability as a starter, but he was still projected to be a great closer. One of those “He could join a major league bullpen now” guys. No such thing as a sure thing.
Plus, I think Mark Appel has the title of biggest first round bust of the decade locked up tightly.
Fulmer was mishandled.
Not entirely the team’s fault, but at least he got paid.
I hope the White Sox face him again this week.
He sux.
this should easily put them past the 10 win mark for the year!
But can he throw a two seamed fastball?
it looks like he’s trying to throw a pillow 90mph with that delivery
It’s good to see teams claim someone because they believe they can “fix” him–keeps them humble when it doesn’t work.
Send him to the Driveline, they will fix him or at least show him how to succeed. Look
at all the Dodgers pitchers that Driveline has helped.
he went to driveline the last two offseasons
Probably stands a chance to make the starting rotation.
Once again Carson Fulmer will be afforded an opportunity to pitch for an MLB team and perhaps against his original club this week with the White Sox hosting the Pirates on Tuesday and Wednesday.
I’m from Chicago and a Sox fan, I can only hope they get him to Pittsburgh quickly enough for him to pitch against the Sox Tuesday or Wednesday. Hasn’t had an ERA under like 5 in any league, even minors, in like 4 years. One of the worst draft picks of the past 20 years, and the Sox probably have several of them.
At least they didn’t trade him for a James Shields. As long as things aren’t as bad as that, there’s still hope.
Seems like the kind of guy a bad team should take a chance on.
The White Sox have had their share of first round pitching busts, but when measured by pure dreadfulness of a major league career, the clear winner is 1991 pick Scott Ruffcorn. Scott retired with an 0-8 W/L, ERA of 8.57, went 0 for 6 at the plate, and made 3 errors before recording an assist or putout, finishing with an astonishing fielding percentage of .714. Makes you long for Aaron Poreda and Lance Broadway.
Ha, indeed. Coming off the exciting 2nd place 1990 AL West finish to mighty Oakland, Ruffcorn was supposed to be added to the treasure trove of young talent that would include Big Hurt, The Panther (before traded/becoming a science exhibit), BlackJack, etc.
Who is the Panther? I have never heard of that nickname. Neither has Wikipedia on the “List of Chicago White Sox nicknames” page.
Wasn’t it Dan Pasqua?
Wow, Ruffcorn, a sea of painful memories!
To think that the Indians drafted Pleasac, Bieber, and Civale back in 2016 in the same draft, none higher than 3rd round. That means not only could the White Sox have had any of them – they could have had ALL of them!
Cleveland and LA Dodgers simply have way, way smarter people giving input to their draft choices. White Sox should hire people away from either organization to get some insights into their superior talent evaluation abilities.
And yet one hasn’t won a World Series since 1988 and the other hasn’t won one since 1948. So does being smarter really help them?
LOL good point. But I mean the Dodgers farm system is stacked and they have won at least 90 games each of the past 10 years (1 exception I think). So they have a great farm system without any top draft picks for like a decade. The Sox whole rebuild is almost entirely from trades, Tim Anderson about the only draft pick in the past 8 years with any success other than Chris Sale. They seriously have had about the worst draft pick success of just about any team.
And even without a World Series I will take 90 wins for 8 straight years or whatever over watching White Sox baseball at any point in the past decade! Plus, the Astros might have cheated a title away from the Dodgers, who knows.
Indians were at least in the Series once this past decade. They sure have a stacked rotation if they ever get any hitters to go with them.
yeah the Dodgers are stacked. Their Low A team was a beast last year. Though the South Bend Cub won the Midwest title.
I think its better coaching that makes t he difference.
Does anything look right (mechanically) in that picture? Big difference between college and the majors, especially with less than a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio. Numbers were terrible in the minors, too.
The Panther nickname was given by Sox broadcaster Hawk Harrelson to a young Sammy Sosa.
Thank you. I figured it was a Hawk Harrelson thing. Of all the things that have changed about baseball that I miss, Hawk Harrelson is at the bottom of that list. I know some people loved him, but I think he was the worst announcer of all time.
I’ve heard “La Pantera” (the panther) being nickname for Luis Robert, so he would be Panther #2. I hope he is a lot better than Sosa! (or rather, better than Sosa would have been without the juice).
I love the Fulmer move. This guy has the right stuff, perfect fit for pirates. I think this move will put them in 1st place by seasons end. They will have him in starting rotation by next week. Just what the pirates needed.
Lovin you should be a comedian! You are right, all the Pirates need is Carson Fulmer in their rotation, then they will finally play to their potential.
That winning streak got BC nervous. He had to make this move. Some pitching is going to be dealt this week so Fulmer can get to work.
Man, I look at Fulmer’s numbers and its easy to see that his walks have always been high, even back in college at Stanford. How could anyone think he was going to be a safe pick?
I look at that, all the way through the minors and through the majors into this year, and I see very little, if any, improvement on his command. The walks are always way too high.
Good luck Mr. Cherington, but if that command doesn’t drastically improve, I don’t see much hope with this pick-up.
What you should have done in the first place was saved that million you spent on Heredia, added it to what you paid Jarrod Dyson, and bam!, there is what you needed to sign Kevin Pillar to play center field this year.
That (Signing Pillar) would have dramatically changed the results for the Pirates more than anything else you could have done. There is no doubt about that.
Then you wouldn’t have needed to force Cole Tucker into learning the outfield on the fly so urgently.
(I do agree with trying Cole Tucker in the outfield, but it should have been started years ago. I have been suggesting it for several years now).
Tucker is a good enough athlete to play centerfield but it is not fair to have to learn a new position in ML games.
He is a shortstop,and a good one,so why not move Newman to second base and trade Frazier?
I also do not think that Tucker will ever hit enough and provide enough power to play the outfield.
I think the OF was just a way to get him more consistent at bats to see if he could hit enough to be the SS full time. They need Frazier to play to be able to make a deal for him. If he sits, then his value drops even more. Tucker may get some time at SS now that Newman is dinged up or they could bring Hayes up to play and leave Gonzales in at SS for his bat and let Tucker play the OF this year. They know he is a top defensive SS so no need to see him play defense there at the moment.
I think the move to cf was to get that #1 pick. Nutting has to be pissed at Ben. You spent 3 million on centerfielders when we could of just moved a SS there?
How is Gonzalez defense at SS? He always was pretty decent with the glove, no tucker I am sure,but better then Newman?
Gonzalez has played so many positions that I do not know if he is a good shortstop.
He does have a lot of range though as he hurt himself badly last year running into Marte in centerfield.
Perhaps that is why Marte wanted traded!
What you think of pirates trade deadline? I think bell and Frazier were gone this past winter but no contrnder had a need. Now with injuries and dh and everybody in playoffs there is a market but trade values may be down and these guys aren’t tearing it up. BC usually operates like I do. I will trade anyone if the price is right. Rentals are gone for anything. Reynolds, keller, Bell would take an impressive haul. Everyone else gone for a fair price. Polanco you are stuck with. If I am another team I want Brault. Under rated with years of control. And lefty. Nobody is untouchable but very few will move. Rentals gone for anything if anybody wants them. Holland and kela about it.
Holland,Kela If healthy,and Frazier could go.
Reynolds,Bell,and Keller stay.
Brault has been pitching well as a starter which he also did last year other than a few games.He is also a fairly good pinch hitter.
Polanco had a very good series against the Brewers.
I would not trade anyone unless they get quality young players in return.
I hope that they keep Rodriguez.
I hope they trade everybody. Obviously if the prospects are right. Decent players are nice but you have to have a couple studs. Nothing you can do if teams don’t want to pay the price, but if they are willing sell sell. Replied to you on older thread. Nothing too exciting
We agree Mendoza. About tucker. The future pirates ss is either the kid from Marte trade or one they just drafted. The loser can move somewhere else. Newman can’t hit enough either. Kramer never had chance. Hayes has chance to hit still but odds keep getting lower, he isn’t in my top 100, BC already aquired 3 prospects that passed him up. Cruz has better odds of developing power but long ways to go. Pirate fans regard tucker high, they shouldn’t. Did anybody ever have high projections of him? I never seen anything bat wise.
Newman hit well last year just poorly in 2018 for six weeks when he came up.
It is important to have a real good fielding shortstop though.
Kramer did not hit at all the last two years in his short auditions.They started playing him in the outfield but these other guys will probably pass him by.
Hayes needs to hit for some power soon as he is a ten homer guy at this point which does not cut it for third base no matter how good of a fielder he is.
Cruz will end up in the outfield and will be a home run or bust.
Tucker has been the golden boy lately as he had a good Arizona instructional league in 2018 and is a good fielder but I do not think that he hit real well at any minor league level.
I think that there is hype involved with him and Hayes.
Newman is a fine player. I haven’t seen much of him of late ( thank God pirates aren’t on TV much ) but the defense was just average. Can definitely play short, not a weak link, but can’t make all the plays a lot of other guys can. But if keeps hitting 300 he is great. Just these kids coming up can hit 20 dingers hopefully. The pirates way, Newman starts till arb 2.
No such thing as a safe pick. Usually a guy or 2 that is close to a sure thing but after the top 3 or 5 it gets dicey. But I always found it easier to teach control then to teach someone to throw 98 mph.
The problem is with his delivery. Too wild.
Wild thing…..you make my heart sing…. you walk everything!,,,,
Somebody better teach this Fulmer kid some control in case his 98 mph fastball ever shows up again and kills somebody.
No brainer move for the pirates.. the risk is well worth ant potential reward as there is no risk with him
Great timing. The Sox draw the Bucs this week. Another opportunity to feast off their old chum
Willie-Do you mean the Pirates or White Sox doing the feasting?