Fla. (AP) — When Michael Fulmer arrived in the major leagues in 2016 from liuyt's blog

LAKELAND http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-max-kepler-jersey , his impact was impressive and immediate.Now, the Detroit right-hander will settle for steady progress.Three years after that sparkling debut season, Fulmer is at a bit of a crossroads. He won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2016 but has struggled to return to that form, especially last year, when he went 3-12 with a 4.69 ERA. His 2018 season ended a bit early because of knee problems, and Fulmer — who turns 26 this month — has been working on some mechanical adjustments in response to his injuries.“I think last year, performance-wise, I wasn’t a hundred percent all the way through the season, and I think it showed,” he said Monday. “This year, we’re trying to kind of redo everything and get to be pain free, which I am. I’m blessed for that, and I think everything else will kind of build up.”Fulmer pitched three innings in Monday’s 9-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Kolten Wong led off with a home run that carried up to an elevated walkway behind the bullpen in right field. That was the only run off Fulmer.“He felt really good with the ball coming out of his hand Fernando Rodney Jersey ,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “The second and third inning, really good. It was coming out nice, his changeup, his breaking ball, so that’s what you’re looking for. Now, whether the velocity gets going with it, who knows?”Fulmer’s velocity has been a big topic. The pitch Wong hit for a home run was just 91 mph, according to the reading at the ballpark. But Fulmer figures he has enough time to build up to higher speeds as the season approaches.“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “If it keeps going up every outing, then we’ll be spot on.”The Tigers acquired Fulmer in 2015 when they traded Yoenis Cespedes to the New York Mets. Shortly after Fulmer arrived in the majors in 2016, he went on a run of nine straight starts allowing no more than one earned run.That peak would have been hard for any pitcher to sustain, but Fulmer finished with an 11-7 record and a 3.06 ERA, beating Gary Sanchez of the Yankees for Rookie of the Year. He was 10-12 with a 3.83 ERA in 2017, earning an All-Star nod http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-max-kepler-jersey , but last season raised questions about both his health and his ability to pitch like an ace over the long term.Right now, Fulmer has a lot to prove. His health seems fine. His fastball is a work in progress. Both will be under scrutiny over the next few weeks.“He’s the only person that knows if he’s going to have a little extra, and we just have to give it time,” Gardenhire said. “This is spring training, so he’s got plenty of time. He’s going to have quite a few more starts.”NOTES: The Tigers have all 40-man roster players under contract for 2019 after announcing deals right-handers Victor Alcantara, Sandy Baez, Buck Farmer, Reed Garrett, Eduardo Jimenez, Joe Jimenez, Franklin Perez, Zac Reininger, Spencer Turnbull and Drew VerHagen; left-handers Ryan Carpenter, Jose Fernandez Joe Mauer Jersey , Matt Hall, Gregory Soto and Daniel Stumpf; catchers Grayson Greiner and John Hicks; infielders Sergio Alcantara, Jeimer Candelario, Willi Castro, Brandon Dixon, Niko Goodrum, Dawel Lugo and Ronny Rodríguez; and outfielders JaCoby Jones, Mikie Mahtook, Dustin Peterson, Victor Reyes and Christin Stewart. Opening day was particularly special for Fernando Tatis Jr. and Eloy Jimenez.In large part because they weren’t stuck at El Paso and Charlotte.It’s common for baseball’s top prospects to spend a bit of time in the minors at the beginning of the season, but the Padres and White Sox put Tatis and Jimenez on the roster this year, and they made their big league debuts Thursday. Tatis, a shortstop, had two hits in San Diego’s win over San Francisco . Jimenez Glen Perkins Jersey , an outfielder, had a run and an RBI in Chicago’s loss to Kansas City .Jimenez hit .355 in 55 games at Triple-A Charlotte last year, and shortly before the start of this season, he signed a $43 million, six-year contract — a record high for a player under club control who hadn’t yet appeared in a major league game.So it was no surprise to see Jimenez in the majors right away. Tatis’ situation was different. Delaying a player’s service time for a few weeks can delay potential free agency down the road, and Tatis hadn’t played above Double-A. But instead of sending him to Triple-A El Paso, the Padres brought him right to the majors.“I told my dad, my head was in the minor leagues,” Tatis said. “If they sent me down, I was not surprised. If they called me up, it was going to be a big surprise.”Tatis, who turned 20 on Jan. 2, became the youngest player to start on opening day since 19-year-old Adrian Beltre in 1999. He became the youngest player with a multihit game on opening day since Robin Yount in 1975.Tatis is ranked as the game’s No. 2 prospect by mlb.com, behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The debate about whether Guerrero should start the season with the Toronto Blue Jays or in the minors became moot when he went down with a strained left oblique.ALREADY?It didn’t take long for some position players to take the mound this year.The circumstances this time: The Dodgers and Diamondbacks played a 13-inning marathon Friday night that lasted over six hours. On Saturday http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-max-kepler-jersey , Los Angeles beat Arizona 18-5, with Diamondbacks catcher John Ryan Murphy giving up seven runs in two innings of relief. Dodgers catcher Russell Martin also pitched, retiring the side in the ninth on 10 pitches.ALL OR NOTHINGThere’s been plenty of talk over the past few years about baseball becoming a game of home runs and strikeouts, and the very early returns in 2019 indicate nothing is changing in that regard. So far, 23.2 percent of all plate appearances have resulted in a strikeout, and 3.3 percent have resulted in a homer.The numbers last season were 22.3 and 3.0.HIGHLIGHTLorenzo Cain robbed Jose Martinez of a tying home run for the final out of Milwaukee’s 5-4 win over St. Louis on opening day. Martinez’s pinch-hit drive nearly cleared the wall in right-center, but Cain brought the ball back, giving the Brewers the victory.LINE OF THE WEEKWhile much of the focus was on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado as they began playing for the Phillies and Padres, Paul Goldschmidt got off to quite a start with the Cardinals. Goldschmidt, who was traded from Arizona to St. Louis in the offseason, homered three times in a 9-5 win over Milwaukee on Friday night.Goldschmidt was denied a chance at a fourth home run when he was intentionally walked in the ninth inning.