As I scour the internet looking for Mets fans to talk to, I often find them discussing our future rotation. The names Zack Wheeler, Rafael Montero, Matt Harvey, and Noah Syndergaard are tossed around with regularity. My favorite Mets pitching prospect, however, has been tossed to the side mentally because of a knee surgery — Michael Fulmer.
Did you forget about Dre Fulmer? At age 19, Fulmer impressed everybody by cruising through Savannah. The Mets gave him a real push by allowing him to pitch in the Savannah rotation at such a young age, but his stat line shows exactly why they had so much faith in him. He made 21 starts that spanned 108.1 innings pitched. Over that time, he held opposing hitters to a .227 average and struck out 101 — to the tune of a 2.74 ERA.
When the Mets picked him, I was immediately enticed by him. His first year left me even more impressed. This is what I had to say about him in our MMN Top Prospects Series:
If there is one glaringly strong pick from the Sandy Alderson era so far, it has to be Michael Fulmer. Fulmer has the potential to dominate major league teams for years, and already has the frame of a pitcher at just 19 years of age. He is coming off a strong year in Savannah where he made 21 starts that spanned 108 innings. He posted a 2.74 ERA and allowed just 92 hits, six of them going for home runs. He struck out 101 and walked 38, resulting in a 2.66 K/BB rate.
Fulmer throws three defined pitches, and has been known to mix in a fourth every now and then. His fastball is his best pitch, an explosive pitch that sits in the mid-90s and has touched 97 MPH on occasion. His slider is his second best offering, and it comes in at 83-85 with sharp late movement – exactly what you want from a slider. He has been working on a change-up, and it is still in development. Honestly, he did not need one in High School with the dominance of his fastball and slider, so the change is a project. Progress has been made, however, and he mixes in a 12-6 curve at times to keep hitters off balance. It is ridiculous that his pitches and mindset are so mature when you consider young he is.
…He already has the build of an MLB pitcher, can overpower hitters, command his pitches, and pitches fearlessly. The goal now is to build his stamina and pitch deeper into games while he continues to develop at his own pace. So far, everything we’ve seen of Fulmer points to a fast rise through the minors. All things considered, Fulmer could find himself anchoring the top or middle of our rotation in a few years and not a single soul would be surprised.
Don’t sleep on Michael Fulmer, who may end up being one of the best that our system has produced in a few years.
I’m excited to see him get back on the field this season.
Fulmer has always been part of my equation in evaluating the future of the NY Mets pitching staff.
With all of the young arms set to mature to ML readiness within a year or two of one another, Met brass should think hard about devising a method of introducing them at the ML level through the bullpen, as do the Cardinals.
Harvey & Wheeler are no-doubters when it comes to the rotation. But if you have guys like Niese, Marcum & Gee performing at an acceptable level of consistency as starters, then why not populate the bullpen with the likes of Fulmer, Montero, Syndergaard, etc…
It makes perfect sense to me. The risk of injury because a pitcher assumes a different role is a bunch of BS. I pitched for 2 years out of the pen, and then as a starter for 3, and was able to keep my arm healthy in both instances.
The health of a pitcher’s arm is dictated by a number of factors: Foundation work in the off-season, maintenance during the season, refining and smoothing one’s delivery, proper leg work, etc…
So why not have a bullpen of: Parnell, Fulmer, Syndergaard, Montero, Tapia, Leathersich & Edgin?
Montero would be starting if called up first! Gee would be pushed to the pen. Fulmer and Tapia need innings to refine their secondary pitches and are very young! Throwing them in the pen right now is rediculous! They have a lot to work on and aren’t close to ready for MLB hitters yet! Syndergaard is a stud but his curve is a work in progress. Let these guys mature cause there is no need to rush them. Our pen is the least of our worries this year. When we are close to being a contender the way the cardinals are then we can start thinking of pulling our young kids that are MLB ready for our pen!
Hopefully Fulmer recovers from his injury soon! He’s definitely one of my favorite pitchers in our system. I think next year at this time we will be talking about him they way everyone is talking about syndergaard and montero this year!
I thought he’d be back by now… I saw him hobbling only slightly in spring training…
Its great to be reminded that the Mets really could part with a Wheeler or Montero or Syndy and still be left with such depth in the minors. I”m not advocating for or against trading any of them, but each of those guys seems capable of being part of a package for anyone who comes on the market. And having the remaining guys plus Fulmer plus all the others, is a nice luxury.
Seems like a case of out of sight out of mind with Fulmer
Satish, as a child of this era, all we really care about is the here and now. Once Fulmer comes back, everybody will fall in love again. Until then, we’ll just have to make due with Montero, Big Noah, Tapia, Mateo, and the rest.