While the Dodgers — and every other team — are currently not allowed to make any moves to directly bolster the Major League club, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his staff are still looking for creative ways to add depth to the rest of the organization.
A prime example of that came on Dec. 8. The Dodgers selected three players in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, adding a few players who could contribute during the 2022 season. Two of the selections were right-handers Jon Duplantier and Carson Fulmer. Both of those players have Major League experience and are expected to make a contribution at some point during the upcoming season.
The other selection, catcher Kekai Rios, might not be ready to make an impact in ‘22, but the Hawaii product could give the Dodgers some much-needed depth at the position. In ‘21, the Dodgers had veteran Tim Federowicz as their third catcher. Federowicz announced his retirement on Dec. 7 after a 14-year professional career.
The three selections were solid depth additions by the Dodgers. Let’s take a closer look at the trio.
1) RHP Carson Fulmer
Fulmer, 27, was the No. 8 pick by the White Sox in the ‘15 Draft. Coming out of Vanderbilt, Fulmer was poised to become the next great right-hander to come out of that program. But his career hasn’t turned out quite as expected.
After four mostly disappointing seasons with the White Sox, Fulmer split time with the Tigers and Orioles in ‘20. He posted a 4.35 ERA in 10 appearances, striking out 11 over 10 1/3 innings of work. Last season, Fulmer spent time with the Reds, but really struggled, posting a 6.66 ERA and walking 13 in 20 relief appearances.
Command issues have plagued Fulmer and have largely prevented him from fulfilling his top prospect status. But the stuff is there. The Dodgers are hoping to help him put things together.
Fulmer hasn’t found much success with his four-seam fastball. Opposing hitters recorded a .419 batting average against the pitch last season. But Fulmer did rank in the 85th percentile in fastball spin, which is something the Dodgers value. Fulmer pairs the fastball with a good cutter and a curveball that limited hitters to a .133 average last season. The Dodgers often emphasize throwing your best pitch. Tapping into the curveball more could be the message Los Angeles gives the right-hander.
There’s a lot of work to do in order for Fulmer to make a significant impact. But the Dodgers are taking a flier on the former top prospect.
2) RHP Jon Duplantier
Like Fulmer, Duplantier is another former top prospect who hasn’t been able to put it all together.
Duplantier was a third-round selection by the D-backs in the ‘16 Draft. Three years later, Duplantier made his debut and looked like a key part of Arizona’s rebuild plan. He posted a 4.42 ERA in 15 appearances, striking out 34 over 36 2/3 innings.
But after an elbow injury forced him to miss the entire ‘20 season, Duplantier wasn’t able to regain his form in ‘21, posting a 13.15 ERA in four starts with the D-backs. He continued to battle injuries last season, only making four appearances in the Minors in addition to the four in the Majors.
The Dodgers are hoping a healthy Duplantier can tap into some of the qualities that made him a top prospect just a few seasons ago. Duplantier and Fulmer won’t be heavily relied upon, but after the Dodgers used a franchise-record 39 pitchers last season, L.A. is motivated to add as much depth as possible.
3) C Kekai Rios
While Fulmer and Duplantier could make an impact as early as next season, it was Rios who the Dodgers drafted with their first selection in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
Rios has spent the last four seasons in the Brewers’ system after being selected in the 28th record in ‘18. After struggling at the plate earlier in his career, Rios had a bit of a breakthrough with High-A Wisconsin last season, hitting .270 in 42 games. He finished the season with Double-A Biloxi, but struggled to find the same success in very limited time.
He’s expected to start the season with Double-A Tulsa, but could be a name to watch if the Dodgers are hit by injuries at the catcher position next season.