Mar
12
2013

Knee Surgery Today For Mets Prospect Michael Fulmer

An article by Joe D

Michael_Fulmer

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com confirms that pitching prospect Michael Fulmer will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

Mets team physician Dr. Struan Coleman will perform the operation.

Get well soon, Mike…

Originally Post March 11 at 7:45 PM

Mets pitching prospect Michael Fulmer tore the meniscus in his right knee and is on his way to New York where they will perform surgery on Tuesday to repair the damage.

Hat tip to Mack’s Mets.

Fulmer was participating in STEP camp in Port St. Lucie with many of the other top prospects in the organization.

“I appreciate all the well wishes. I’ll be back at it before we know it,” Fulmer said on Twitter. “Only a very minor setback in a long career,” he added. “Looking forward to getting back to 100 percent.”

Here was our latest analysis on Fulmer who we ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Mets system…

Michael Fulmer, RHP

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 200 LBS
Age: 19 (20 in March)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

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.

Outlook: Fulmer’s 2012 line gave a lot of people, including myself, high hopes for the future. Some of the scouts that saw him were most impressed with his aggressiveness and poise. He moves ahead to St.Lucie next year where he will join a rotation packed with some of the best Mets righthanders in the system Fulmer stands to only improve on his position as a prospect in our system when you consider all things. 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.

About the Author: Joe DeCaro

I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.

17 Comments + Add Comment

Trs86 March 11, 2013 at 8:11 pm

Well damn.
Dan from Whitestone March 11, 2013 at 8:18 pm

Is this a season-ender? Hope not.
- Tommy2cat March 11, 2013 at 10:13 pm
  
  Nope. I tore the medial meniscus in my right knee – its not a big deal, really. Never affected my ability to perform over the long haul, although it set me back a few months, like 3 or 4.
  
  He’ll be fine, but of course its always better to avoid those type of injuries. With today’s arthroscopic procedures, he’ll be back sooner rather than later. It might even be a blessing in disguise as it might save the kid’s arm a bit. One thing’s for sure, he’ll be working on his legs before he climbs back onto the mound.
  
  Get well, soon, Fulmer!
Lorenzo March 11, 2013 at 8:24 pm

That sucks.
Teddy Klein March 11, 2013 at 8:38 pm

Well, that’s a shame. Thankfully, he’s still very very young.
- Dan Valis March 11, 2013 at 9:19 pm
  
  He does have youth on his side to recover, but it would have been nice to track his progress this season. Hopefully this is not a season ender
taskmaster4450 March 11, 2013 at 9:11 pm

fter a successful surgery for treating the destroyed part of the meniscus patients must follow a rehabilitation program to have the best result. The rehabilitation following a meniscus surgery depends on whether the entire meniscus was removed or repaired. Although not clinically proven some people report better recovery after a period of oral intake of glucosamine-sulphate supplement.[dubious – discuss]

If the destroyed part of the meniscus was removed, patients can usually start walking using a crutch a day or two after surgery. Although each case is different, patients return to their normal activities on average after a few weeks (2 or 3). Still, completely normal walk will resume gradually and it’s not unusual to take 2–3 months for the recovery to reach a level where a patient will walk totally smoothly. Many meniscectomy patients don’t ever feel a 100% functional recovery, but even years after the procedure they sometimes feel tugging or tension in a part of their knee.[citation needed] There is little medical follow-up after meniscectomy and official medical documentation tends to ignore the imperfections and side-effects of this procedure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tear_of_meniscus
van March 11, 2013 at 9:16 pm

that blows.

I wonder for a pitcher if it is generally better to have the problem with his push leg or plant leg?
ray sadecki March 11, 2013 at 9:18 pm

Bad news. Thats why you can never have enough pitching (or pitchers)
CThomp519 March 11, 2013 at 9:33 pm

Sadecki??

Interesting…
Joey D. March 11, 2013 at 10:51 pm

That is rough and I hope he recuperates completely. Also hope it doesn’t cause him to favor his repaired knee and throw off his mechanics.
- Just-Da-Damaja March 12, 2013 at 7:41 am
  
  JOE D – you mean mechanics being off like what happened to Santana after the ankle injury?
  
  Santana pitched for a whole month after that…
  
  never complained…
  
  and this is what Santana does on a torn meniscus ON 3 DAYS rest
  
  http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=30013824
  
  you need to learn how to remove your own feelings about a player before you come with your crying and moaning every time a reporter creates a story out of thin air
Peter March 11, 2013 at 10:57 pm

7 to 8 weeks, he will pitch by all star break
Alex68 March 12, 2013 at 7:24 am

Ohhhhh boy….
jdon March 12, 2013 at 8:57 am

At least it is not an arm. He will pitch again this year, but it is a setback, developmentally. Lost opportunity to stretch his innings out. So in some sense, this year becomes a wash.
Alex in CT (I'm not Alex68) March 12, 2013 at 10:28 am

I’ve had my meniscus torn on both my knees including once as junior playing football. I missed a little over two months and was back with my team with no problems. The second time was as an adult and it took a little longer, about 3 months with some rehab, but I was now in my forties. Fulmer will pitch again by the Summer I’d bet.
Cackletta March 12, 2013 at 3:47 pm

“Mets team physician Dr. Struan Coleman will perform the operation.”

Oh god…

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