Dax Fulton
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| Photo: Daniel Penn/ Pensacola Blue Wahoos |
Bio:
Age: 21
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 235 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
Hometown: Weatherford, Oklahoma
Draft Profile: 2nd round, 40th pick of the 2020 draft by Miami
Drafted Out of: Mustang High School (Oklahoma City, OK)
Career Stat Line: 229.2 IP 10-16 W/L 4.27 ERA 273:99 K:BB .249 AVG. 1.37 WHIP
Miami, here we come, for our July 15th edition of the Minor League Spotlight. This week it falls on a big, burly left hander: Daxton Fulton.
Born and raised in Weatherford, Oklahoma, about sixty miles west of Oklahoma City via Route 40, Dax grew up much like every other boy in town: hunting, fishing and hanging outside. Along the way, he also found a knack for the sport of baseball, particularly the pitching aspect of it. "I always enjoyed pitching because I feel like I get the opportunity to control the game depending on how I did. If I did well my team usually played better behind me and I always liked that feeling of being able to control/help my team out." (Prospects Live).
The kid would take his talents to the diamond at Mustang High School in the capital city of Oklahoma for the next step in his journey. He played three years of varsity ball for the Broncos, excelling as a two way player as he ascended to the top ranked player in the state. As a freshman, the lefty led the team to a 6A championship, being given the rock for the finals game itself (Sooner Sports). He delivered a complete game to reward coach Joe Patterson for his trust; the moment has never been too big.
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| Photo: Sarah Phipps/ The Oklahoman |
As a junior in 2019, Fulton really began to establish himself on the national level. He was named a Perfect Game All-American, with a fastball touching 96 and an elite curveball-- ranked a 60-65 grade by MLB scouts (Prospects Worldwide). After originally accepting a scholarship that year to play for Vanderbilt University, Dax kept things in-state and switched his commitment to the University of Oklahoma (OU Daily).
Unfortunately, his senior season was over before it started, due to an elbow injury during Team USA tryouts that required Tommy John surgery (MiLB.com). Despite the apparent red flag, the Miami Marlins had seen more than enough to become enamored with the prep prospect-- so much so that they selected him with their second round pick in the COVID shortened 2020 draft. They agreed upon a $2.4 million dollar signing bonus, the most ever for a high school pitcher who did not play as a senior (MLB.com).
Fulton's professional debut came for the Jupiter Hammerheads. He made fifteen appearances for the Class A club, racking up a 4.30 ERA and a little over a strikeout per inning in his first minor league action. In August of 2021, he got the call up to the Beloit Skycarp where he went 0-1 in five starts (MiLB.com). There was a bit of concern regarding his control and command, as evidenced by an 18:8 K:BB ratio and a .276 BAA in High-A, but the stuff passed the eye test.
2022 was much more encouraging for the rising Marlins prospect. The ace of the Skycarp made twenty starts for the squad, lowering his ERA nearly half a point while more than doubling his strikeout rate from the year prior. He received a promotion to AA Pensacola that August, where he shined even brighter-- posting a 2.57 ERA while lowering his batting average against to a paltry .125.
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Pensacola was where Dax spent the first two months of this season. In six appearances for the Blue Wahoos', he was hit at a .254 clip, allowing four long balls and an ERA of 5.18. Given his level of dominance from just a few months earlier, it was a concerning development for Miami. The now-21 year old was put on the short term injured list until it was determined that he would need surgery on his UCL yet again, potentially explaining some of the struggles on the mound.
Despite the bumps in the road he's had to endure, Fulton continues to project as an imposing hurler on the big league level. We're hoping for a swift and thorough recovery from his second Tommy John surgery that'll allow him to get back in time for Spring Training '24. He's got all the potential in the world in that left arm; but needs to increase his availability to realize it.
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@Choppinglines
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