Bryan Bullington

Although Bullington looked shaky in his first extended major-league action in 2007, it's hard to use that performance as a gauge for his future success. Why? Because the former No. 1 overall draft pick missed the entire 2006 season with an elbow injury and may not have been fully recovered. Bullington's fastball is average but he possesses a decent off-speed repertoire. He started the Triple-A All-Star game last year and appears to be on the long road back towards resurrecting his career to some capacity. His numbers in Pittsburgh were less than glowing -- an 0-3 mark with a 5.29 ERA and 1.706 WHIP, but he could win 10 games as a major league starter even if his peripherals will limit him to being a No. 3 starter.

Bullington, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft, missed 2006 with an elbow injury. He's really only had one healthy season since signing with Pittsburgh. In 2005, Bullington went 9-5 with a 3.38 ERA. He debuted with the Pirates that September but pitched in just one game due shoulder soreness. The 26-year-old righthander has a decent breaking ball and could eventually become an innings-eater at the major-league level provided his health allows.

The overall No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft, Bullington was crafting his best season in 2005 when a shoulder injury cut short his campaign. Generally considered a disappointment since draft day, the lanky 6-foot-4 right-hander went 9-5 with a 3.38 ERA for Triple-A Indianapolis. While his fastball inexplicably dropped a few mph from its mid-90s level during his collegiate days at Ball State, Bullington was making the necessary adjustments to remain successful before getting hurt. After undergoing offseason surgery on his right shoulder, he's expected to be out until at least June of 2006.

Bullington, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft, spent last year with Double-A Altoona where he posted mediocre numbers. Bullington figures to start off the season at the Triple-A level, where he'll have to improve on those numbers if he wants to re-establish himself as a top-notch prospect. At this point, it doesn't look like he’ll develop into an ace, which is what you'd expect from such a high pick, instead projecting as more of an inning-eater. Bullington throws a low-90s fastball with deception from a three quarters arm slot, has a good curveball and a developing changeup and could find himself competing for a job in the middle of the Bucs' rotation by 2006.

The 2002 #1 overall pick began the 2003 season dominating at Low-A Hickory (5-1, 1.39, with a 46/11 BB strikeout-to-walk ratio in 45.1 innings). He wasn't quite as impressive at (High-A) Lynchburg (8-4, 3.05, 101 hits in 97.1 innings with 67 k's) but it's clear that the Bucs, who invested a ton of money in him, would love to fast track him to the bigs where they hope he'll develop into a No. 2 or 3 starter. Bullington throws a low-90s fastball with deception from a three quarters arm slot. He also has a good curveball and a developing changeup. He may still be a year away, but he's a name worth knowing in keeper leagues.

The Pirates’ No. 1 pick didn’t sign until the last minute, so Bullington won’t make his pro debut until well after you read this. He’s 22 and got to rest his elbow for three months last year -- two things that make him a slightly better health risk than most pitching prospects. He’ll be fast-tracked, perhaps enough to make a cameo in September.