The start of Brad Fullmer's minor league career was delayed by the negotiation of his signing bonus.  Then he hurt his right shoulder and missed the entire 1994 season.  Once his minor league career finally got going, Brad started to show the Expos why they drafted him.  Brad hit well throughout his minor league career and in 1997  was named the Expos minor league player of the year.  It was also 1997 in which Brad Fullmer made his Major League Debut.  He was recalled by the Expos on September 2nd.  It was on that same day that Brad made his major league debut and it was memorable.  In the 4th inning he was called upon to pinch hit against Boston's Bret Saberhagen.  Fullmer drove the ball out of the park for his first home run in his first major league at bat.  In doing this, Brad became just the second Expo to homer in his first major league at bat.   Once the season was over, Brad went to the Arizona Fall League and hit well there too. What a start to his career!

1998 was Brad's rookie season, and he continued the Expos tradition of rookie success.  It appeared the Expos had high hopes for him as he batted cleanup on opening day.  August 18th would be a big day for Fullmer, as he had his first 2 home run game.  It came in Arizona against Brian Anderson.  Once the season was over, Brad had a lot to be proud of.  He set an Expos rookie record with 44 doubles, finished second on the team with 73 RBI's, batted .331 with runners in scoring position and his doubles total ranked him 7th in the National League.  It appeared he was well on his way to becoming a prominent everyday player.

1999 would prove to be Brad's most trying season in his young career.  In his first 30 games of the season Brad hit only .207 and was sent to AAA Ottawa on May 16th.  He would be recalled shortly thereafter, but only for 3 games before he would be sent down again.  As much as being sent down must have hurt, Brad was determined to work hard and make his way back to the big leagues.  He would spend the next 39 games at triple-A hitting .317 with 11 homers and 32 RBI's.  Finally on July 15th Brad was recalled by the Expos and this time it was to stay.  Brad wanted to show that he belonged and in his first game back went 2-4.  Things got better from there.  On July 19th Fullmer went 4-4 with two doubles, a homer and three RBI for his second career 4 hit game.  Brad enjoyed a 16 game hitting streak from August 7-22.  With his strong second half it looked like Brad was back on the scene.  It had been a rough year though.  Brad Fullmer and Felipe Alou appeared to have their differences.  One main issue being that Alou didn't seem to like Fullmer's defense.  In fact during his slump, Brad had the words "Can't Break Me" tattooed on his right arm.  As the season ended people had to be wondering if Brad would be given the everyday first base job in 2000 or would the Expos try and trade him?

As teams headed to camp for the 2000 season, the Expos had a new sense of excitement.  They had a new owner and had made some trades and free agent signings to strengthen their team.  Would Brad be a part of this new and exciting team.  Well at first it looked good for him but then on March 16th he would be involved in a 3 way trade.  The Expos acquired Lee Stevens from Texas and Brad Fullmer went to the Blue Jays. The Jays sent David Segui to the Rangers.  It was supposed to be a deal that would work out for all three teams.  But the Jays already had Carlos Delgado at first base.  Would Brad Fullmer mind being a designated hitter so early in his career.  When  he arrived at the Jays camp he was informed that he would be the DH against right-handed pitchers, with Marty Cordova playing against the lefties.  Fullmer didn't mind at all.  He was happy to be on a team that wanted him and in a situation where there was a chance to win.  As the season started, Brad hit well early on.  He was even showing some power early on which had not been as evident in his Expo years.  As the All Star break neared, Brad was flirting with a .300 average and had a chance for a 30 homer season.  Brad's impressive numbers, combined with some injuries to other players saw him get more at bats against left handed pitchers.  In Montreal, Fullmer had developed a reputation for tiring as the season wound down.  This did not happen this year though.  Brad continued to flirt with .300 as his team was in a playoff race and he kept coming up with clutch hits.  Finally on September 9th he hit his 30th home run of the season.  Later in that same game, he drove in the winning run.  September 24th would be Brad's last game of the year as he had bone chips in his elbow.  He decided to undergo surgery and should be ready for spring training 2001.  All in all it was a great season for Brad Fullmer, one that definitely established himself as a threat in the Blue Jays lineup.

Brad Fullmer arrived at Spring Training with new confidence for the 2001 season.  In the off season he had a new two year contract, and was told he would see some playing time at first base as well as designated hitter.  Brad struggled throughout most of the spring and admitted he hadn't found a comfortable swing yet.  As the season started, Todd Greene was released meaning that Brad would play against left handed pitchers more often than he did last year.  It looked like he was becoming a key player in the Jays lineup.

As the 2001 season began, Brad continued to struggle at the plate.  He would get a couple of hits here and there, but he just hadn't found that groove yet.  In mid April he started to find his power stroke.  He had a breakout game in Kansas City and hit a grand slam for his first homer of the year.  As May began, Fullmer started to hit some homeruns again and was leading the team in RBI's.  His average was not very high, but it seemed like he was starting to get on track.  As the season's first half wound down, Brad was having a decent season, but it seemed as if he would fall short of last year's numbers.  Brad was not the only Blue Jay struggling to repeat last years career high totals.  Several other players were struggling and the team was starting to fall out of contention.  As a result, many trade rumors started to make their way around the Jays.  Tony Batista was the first to go, as he was claimed off waivers by Baltimore.  Many people speculated about what other Blue Jays would be moved and Brad's name was being mentioned.  Several National League teams needed a first baseman and Brad's start at first base against the Mets just added to speculation.  As July 31 came and went, Brad would remain a Blue Jay, which seemed just fine with him.  He continued to put up consistent numbers at the plate but the Blue Jays were still struggling.  As the summer wound down, Buck Martinez wanted to get a look at some of the teams younger players so Brad found himself sitting on the bench against some left handed pitchers.  What will the off season bring?  Could Fullmer be traded to make room for Vernon Wells which would make Shannon Stewart the DH?  Or will Stewart be traded?  Only time will tell.  Brad seems happy in Toronto and still displays a tremendous work ethic.  Wherever he plays in 2002 I'm sure he will continue to work hard and improve on this years numbers.

For Brad Fullmer, baseball in 2002 started a little bit earlier than usual.  The Blue Jays had been dumping salary for much of the off season and it looked like Brad would be next to go.  For a while talks died down and Raul Mondesi was the name being mentioned.  Finally Brad's turn to go came on his birthday.  Fullmer was traded to the Angels January 17 2002, about a month before spring training. As Spring training started, the Angels had high hopes for the regular season.  They had a nice combination of young players and veterans and hoped they would be able to turn around a franchise that had struggled the last few years.  Brad got off to a bit of a slow start,.  Perhaps he was pressing a bit trying to impress his new manager.  He was seeing a lot of time at DH but also had a few starts at first base which must have been nice for him after being exclusively a DH the past few years.  As the season progressed Fullmer gradually started to bust out of his slump, and also seemed to be stealing bases more.  As the final month of the season arrived, the Angels were o a hot streak and so too was Fullmer.  He helped the team wrap up the division title.  Then the Angels upset the Yankees, knocked out the Twins and found themselves in their first World Series.  Brad continued to play well and when all was said and done he was a World Champion.  Congratulations on the great season Brad and good luck in 2003.

The 2003 season started out with so much promise for Brad and ended far too early.  His team was coming off a World Championship and was eager to repeat.  Fullmer got off to a tremendous start hitting for a high average, driving in runs and hitting the long ball too.  He was up to nine homeruns and there was talk he might even make the all star team as a DH.  But then after just 63 games, disaster struck.  In a game against the Mariners, Brad hit a ground ball and as he always does hustled all the way to first base.  This time would be different though.  A loud pop was heard and Brad  collapsed to the ground in pain.  He had ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee and would require season ending surgery.  There would be no all star game for Brad this year, no playoffs and no back to back world championships.  The Angels fell out of the race as Brad began the long road to recovery. 

As the 2004 season began Brad was with a new team, the Texas Rangers.  They had a young team that might be able to surprise some people.  As the season began Brad got off to a hot start and showed some power.  Unfortunately he experienced back problems early in the season and was shut down for the rest of the year.  Hopefully next year will be better and injury free.

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