Baseball America’s latest batch of minor league transactions shows a few White Sox moves we’ve talked about (signing pitchers Rafael Dolis and Brady Koener, releasing Luis Basabe) and a couple we didn’t (releasing Cornelius Randolph and Dwight Smith).
But it’s always worth scrolling through the rest of them for old friends, and one of them might be nearing the end of the line, as the Dodgers released White Sox 2015 first-round pick Carson Fulmer.
The Dodgers had DFA’d Fulmer last week after briefly adding him to the 40-man roster at the end of April, as two Dodger pitchers were placed on the COVID-19 list, and players off the 40-man can be added at no cost. Fulmer didn’t pitch, and while the Dodgers didn’t have to remove him from the 40-man when their pitching staff was restored, they did so anyway.
(This post has been updated because I missed that the Dodgers re-signed him to a minor league deal.)
The Dodgers did re-sign him, and he pitched for Oklahoma City on Friday, so we’ll have to see if the team has any more ideas for him. The fact that Fulmer opted against free agency despite being outrighted multiple times suggests that, after going through six organizations in two-plus seasons, including a tour of three rebuilding teams, the Dodgers still represent his best shot.
Indianapolis 7, Charlotte 5 (10 innings)
- Adam Haseley went 0-for-5 with a K.
- Romy González walked, stole a base and grounded out before he was lifted midgame.
- Jake Burger was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Carlos Pérez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Yolbert Sánchez returned to the lineup and went 0-for-3 with an HBP.
Notes:
*He’d made a leaping catch-and-tag at second to thwart a stolen-base attempt the inning before. You can see Pérez’s quick release compensating for his iffy arm.
Biloxi 9, Birmingham 4
- Lenyn Sosa went 1-for-5.
- So did Yoelqui Céspedes, who struck out twice.
- José Rodríguez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
- Jason Bilous, nope: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 BB, 5 K, 42 of 83 pitches for strikes.
Rome 5, Winston-Salem 4
- Bryan Ramos went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Luis Mieses was 2-for-5.
- Adam Hackenberg, 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Harvin Mendoza was 0-for-5.
Kannapolis 5, Fredericksburg 2
- Wes Kath was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and an HBP.
- DJ Gladney walked once and struck out four times.
- Wilfred Veras was 1-for-5.
- Chase Krogman, 1-for-4 with a K.
If Gordon Beckham had been a pitcher, he would have sounded like Fulmer in that quote.
Maybe Fulmer should follow Beckham to the broadcast booth
It’s actually pretty odd how closely Fulmer’s career mirrored Beckham’s, albeit with even less success. Too bad, as they both seem like fine dudes.
Putting up this line for the Barons inspires memories of Alec Hansen.
Wasn’t even the worst Baron’s pitcher.
Can you imagine spending your entire (albeit young) life devoted to a single craft. To succeed at every level until you get to the last stop, the one that actually makes you money and allows you to profit from an entire lifetime of practice and training, only to fail. I feel bad for Carson, sure you can find other walks in life, but that has gotta be crushing mentally to flat out fail to stick in the majors.
How many of these guys have legitimate backup plans? Probably very few.
Perez may not be able to throw well, but McGuire can’t do one thing well either: hit. It’s one thing to have a good defense, light hitting catcher. It’s another if the hitting is way below even a bad major league level hitter. They can’t score enough runs, and McGuire with a .300+ OPS is playing way too much at too low a level not to consider a change.
I hope RM just starts to hit suddenly, but if he doesn’t, I can’t see how they can be passive about his complete lack of hitting.
a guy like Suzuki proves that if you can hit at even a mediocre level, with + defense, there will always be a spot in the catcher rotation for you.
The question then becomes, of Perez, how many runs do you project him to cost you on the basepaths? It seems like the Sox have one bat and and one glove at the catcher position, and they can’t play the same position at the same time.
McGuire’s numbers before he got to the Sox were not great, but were at least ballpark for a weak hitting catcher. Right now he is way, way below mediocre level hitting. His career OPS is twice what it is this year.
This team is going nowhere if the offense doesn’t improve. McGuire has played in 1/2 their games so far. He needs to start to hit, or play less. He hasn’t hit well enough to be a major league level player even for a backup catcher, so far. If Perez’s arm is too much of a weakness, then they need to find someone else unless RM starts to hit.
So bitch and moan all off-season about needing a defensive backup catcher only to cut him barely into the season because there’s a single bat that can maybe play catcher but probably not which will lead to bitching about needing a defensive backup catcher next off-season.
What is Perez’s pop time?
I had to update the post because Fulmer ended up re-signing a minor-league deal with the Dodgers.
Adam Haseley, your bus out of town is waiting for you
Any news on Cueto? They have to announce something about picking up his option by tomorrow, no?
Gio to the 10 day IL with Covid. Opens up a spot.
A spot isn’t the issue, they have to officially pick up his option and call him up by tomorrow I think. The fact that they have not done so yet makes me wonder if they are considering not picking up the option. I hope we hear something soon, I don’t see how they can afford to pass on him.
Right. They need to add him to the 40-man before he can be added to the 26-man roster.
Nice way to start the day, I still have nightmares about Fulmer, Zack Collins and Don Cooper on the mound at spring training, how could the Sox have drafted Fulmer ahead of Walker Buehler