2016 has been a tumultuous year for the Detroit Tigers. They’ve see-sawed from contention to despair on several occasions. But as we head to the season’s final month, Detroit see themselves in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. Many factors have contributed to this, but none more so than the emergence of Michael Fulmer. The powerful righty has the Rookie of the Year award all but locked up. Now he’s got his eyes on a bigger individual prize: the American League Cy Young.
Fulmer’s year thus far has been bookended by disappointment. His Major League career got off to a rocky start, with the 23 year old sporting an ERA over 6.00 after four starts. He didn’t get past the fifth inning in any of those appearances. His WHIP was nearly an even 2.00, a gaudy figure even for a rookie. But glimmers of hope were evident in those early trials. He was able to keep his team in the game enough to claw out two wins from lackluster showings. That glimmer grew in radiance over the next few months.
Fulmer’s ERA got to as low as 2.11 over the next two months. The Tigers leaned on him as a streak stopper, as they only lost one of his starts between June and July. Equally as impressive was his ability to cater his approach to the opponent on a game by game basis. He racked up big strikeout totals against free swinging teams like Tampa Bay. He did his best Greg Maddux impressions on the corners against more patient lineups like Boston and Seattle.
I don’t want to say the league has figured him out, but Fulmer’s last three outings have been indicative of as much. He labored in the majority of each game against the Red Sox, Angels, and Royals. Opponents have jumped on his fastball early, not allowing him to utilize his debilitating slider/changeup duo. But once again, like his first four starts, Fulmer’s recent woes are a blip on the radar, not an indication of decline.
The bounty of the Yoenis Cespedes trade from last year’s deadline has little competition for Rookie of the Year. Texas’ Nomar Mazara and Minnesota’s Max Kepler have plateaued. Cleveland’s Tyler Naquin has cooled off in recent weeks as well. New York’s slugging backstop Gary Sanchez, the reigning AL Player of the Month, may be too late to the party to garner serious consideration for the award. Alas, Fulmer could potentially pull a historic double at the MLB Awards banquet.
That is because the AL Cy Young race is as wide open as it has ever been. Chris Sale was thought to be the slam dunk choice at the All-Star Break. Nevertheless the White Sox ace has been woefully mediocre since starting the All-Star Game for the AL. Danny Salazar looked to pick up the mantle next. He ended up injured and subsequently battered in his return to action. So now it is a legitimate toss-up between at least five or six different players, each with justifiable reasoning for the honor.
Cole Hamels, Corey Kluber, Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ, Rick Porcello, as well as Fulmer, would each be winners that wouldn’t shock the system. You could even add Baltimore closer Zach Britton to the conversation, who could do the Mariano Rivera Award/Cy Young double.
As the Tigers attempt to keep themselves in the postseason picture, Michael Fulmer will be more important than ever. Detroit will need every player at the top of their game to hold off a plethora of hangers on. While division leaders may be keen to give guys extra rest with skipped starts and shortened outings, the Tigers are going to need Fulmer to bring it every day. That urgency, mixed with Fulmer’s penchant for rising to the occasion, could catapult the rookie into rarified air come October. No AL rookie pitcher has ever took home both awards. Only the Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela (1981) has done it at all. Although a World Series would be a sweet cherry on the top, Fulmer’s rookie season should end very sweet.