GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Less than a year after leading his Vanderbilt University team to another College World Series, playing before big crowds with a lot on the line, Carson Fulmer has experienced a whole new brand of baseball this spring.
Getting plenty of exposure in early Cactus League games, the 2015 No. 1 pick for the White Sox has faced the World Series champion Royals three times, racking up 5 1/3 innings in his first Major League camp.
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"This is a different level," said Fulmer, rated by MLBPipeline.com as the No. 1 prospect in the White Sox system and No. 38 in baseball. "This is a pace I've never experienced, and now I know why they're so good. I'm learning a lot and feeling more comfortable each time I go out. This is exactly where I want to be."
Wherever this first Spring Training experience takes him, which figures to be the next rung on the organizational ladder, Fulmer knows he's getting a lot of out of it. After being drafted last year, Fulmer made eight of his nine starts in his first pro season with Class A Advanced Winston-Salem, going 0-0 with a 2.05 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 22 innings.
This spring, he's sharing a clubhouse with the Major League squad. He's just soaking it all in and preparing to take the next step in his career.
"It's a special opportunity to face the game's best, and, to me, that's how you get better," Fulmer said. "You're facing this caliber of players and working out of some adversities you face."
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Worth noting
• Adam Eaton led off as the White Sox designated hitter Tuesday, but he wasn't the only Eaton getting in some game action. Katie Eaton, Adam's wife, was in a broadcast booth doing analysis for a broadcast on whitesox.com, and when the leadoff hitter came up a second time, she gave her assessment.
"He's all right, I guess," Katie said, adding she'd probably like him better once he loses the beard.
• David Robertson got in his first action of Cactus League play Tuesday after starting his outings on back fields, and he threw a perfect inning of relief against the Dodgers.
"I got to work on some pitches, got some weak contact and some quick outs," Robertson said.