The White Sox rebuild is in full swing. While it might still be a year or two before the big league team is expected to start competing for championships, the minor leagues are stocked with highly touted talent fans will be eagerly following in 2018. With that in mind, it's time to Meet the Prospects and get to know the future of the South Side.
Carson Fulmer
Fulmer, the 24-year-old right-handed hurler, looks to be on the verge of getting his chance to show the White Sox what he can do as a starter at the major league level.
In other words, he won't be a prospect for much longer.
A Florida native, Fulmer was the eighth-overall pick in the 2015 draft. After pitching at Vanderbilt University, he made eight 2015 starts at Class A Winston-Salem, posting a 2.05 ERA in 22 innings. Things didn't go quite as well in his first full professional season in 2016. He made 17 starts at Double-A Birmingham, turning in a 4.76 ERA there. He made four more at Triple-A Charlotte and had a 3.94 ERA in a mere 16 innings. He also got some work out of the big league bullpen that year, struggling to the tune of 11 runs surrendered in 11.2 innings of work.
Fulmer's ERA continued to jump in 2017, all the way up to 5.79 in his 25 starts at Charlotte. He again got some big league time, though, starting in five of his seven appearances with the White Sox. Throw out the first start, an emergency spot start in one half of a doubleheader in which he got shelled, and the late-season results are a lot more promising. In his final four starts of the season, all in September, Fulmer gave up just three runs in 17.1 innings, striking out 16 batters.
Fulmer figures to be given a shot at a spot in the White Sox rotation this spring, as the team is eager to see what they have and see if Fulmer can carve out his own spot in a crowded projected rotation of the future.
MLB
As of their most recent rankings, MLB Pipeline had Fulmer rated as the No. 9 prospect in the White Sox organization.
Get to know Fulmer in the video above.