MMN Top 40 Prospects: No. 19 Michael Fulmer

19. Michael Fulmer, RHP

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 200

DOB: 03/15/1993 (Age: 20)

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Fastball: 55/60 Slider: 45/60 Change-up: 35/45 Control: 40/50 Makeup: 45/50

High risk, high reward is the name of the game with a guy like Michael Fulmer. Drafting him out of HS in 2011, Fulmer was fairly raw, and needed mechanical work while coming with some command issues. He also came with a power fastball and an impressive secondary pitch, so the pick was completely justified. His breaking pitch is a source of confusion — it looks more like a curve to me, but I’m not a professional scout and I’ve seen it listed as a slider, so I’ll roll with that. His change-up is extremely inconsistent and I question whether it will ever develop into a pitch that he can use effectively enough. His fastball and “slider” are very, very good for his age however, so he’s at least polished in that regard.

I find that his delivery looks about max effort to me, so I would be lying if I didn’t feel there was some injury risk there in the future. He made nine starts across the GCL (rehab) and St. Lucie last year as he worked his way back from a meniscus surgery. He posted a 3.33 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 34.0 innings. He surrendered just one home run over that span too. He is aggressive enough on the mound, but I’ve seen him struggle to throw strikes at the same time.

Outlook: I have always liked Fulmer’s potential as a prospect — he looked like a solid bet to be at least a #3 starter for me. However, his work this year wasn’t as encouraging as I hoped it would be — of course, I’m willing to give him a pass because he was coming back from a knee surgery. I’m not going to back off my original projection of a #3 starter for this guy, but it’s not a done deal considering he still needs work. But hey, Fulmer was touted as raw coming out of High School into the draft, so I’m not breaking any ground here. He can pitch and I’m looking forward to his next healthy year of pitching in 2014. He’ll likely start in St. Lucie and work his way up to a promotion to Double-A Binghamton at some point.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)