4 former Pirates first-round pitchers who missed expectations in Pittsburgh

Bryan Bullington

Before there was Skenes and Gerrit Cole, there was Bryan Bullington, the first overall selection of the 2002 MLB Draft. Bullington, who had an incredible career at Ball State, seemed like a sure thing at the time. After his dominant junior season, with a record of 10-2 and ERA of 2.11, Bullington won the MAC Pitcher of the Year award for a second time and was a finalist for the Dicker Howser Trophy. In the 2001 draft, the Pirates had drafted his conference rival, John Van Benschoten, eighth overall out of Kent State. Bullington began his professional career in Single-A the following season and found success between Hickory and Lynchburg. In 2004, he made his way to Altoona and put up respectable numbers. He pitched a scoreless inning in that year’s All-Star Futures Game, and remained one of the Pirates' top prospects. Bullington continued his efforts in Indianapolis in ‘05, pitching to a 3.28 ERA, with nine wins in 104.1 innings pitched, before getting the call to the majors that September. He only made five appearances, starting three games, and struggled in this limited showing. Shortly thereafter, Bullington underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his throwing shoulder, and went on to miss the entire 2006 season.

The rest of Bullington’s Pirates tenure would be marked by inconsistency. While at times he had shown flashes in Triple-A, he never put it together at the major league level, and was eventually designated for assignment before the 2008 All-Star Break. He was later claimed by Cleveland and joined their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, eventually making his way back to the majors. Bullington was eventually DFA’d again, then claimed by the Blue Jays in the offseason, where he worked more as a reliever between the majors and minors.

He signed with Kansas City for 2010, primarily as a starter, and had his best season in years for Triple-A Omaha, with a 2.82 ERA and 1.118 WHIP in 102 innings pitched. Bullington would move on to Japan the following season where he realized his potential. He pitched four seasons for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, was named an All-Star in 2011, and added one year for the Orix Buffalos. In total, Bryan Bullington went 45-45 with a 3.25 ERA and 521 strikeouts as a starter in the NPB. If not for the injuries, who knows how good he could have been for the Pirates?