Bullington Signs Multimillion Dollar Deal With Bucs
Oct 30, 2002
By ALAN ROBINSON
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Pirates finally reached terms Wednesday
with right-hander Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 pick in the June amateur draft.
The negotiations with Bullington dragged out for five months as the pitcher
sought a signing bonus comparable to the $5.15 million the Minnesota Twins gave
catcher Joe Mauer, the top pick in 2001.
The small-budget Pirates refused to budge off their offer of a $4 million
bonus, which was less than the $4.5 million paid Virginia high school shortstop
B.J. Upton, the No. 2 pick by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
With the offseason fall leagues already well under way, Bullington finally
relented and agreed to sign, even though the Pirates' offer was about $1
million less than he sought.
By doing so, Bullington probably assures himself of making more money than
he would have made by re-entering the June 2003 draft pool. That group of
prospects is considered deeper than the 2002 pool, and it is uncertain if
Bullington would have been drafted near the top again.
Bullington is projected by general manager Dave Littlefield as a No. 3
starter in the majors. He was 29-11 with a 3.36 ERA at Ball State, going 11-3
with a 2.84 ERA last season and setting a Mid-American Conference single season
record with 139 strikeouts.
He was one of two first-round picks from Ball State, including the supplemental draft, this season. Luke Haggerty was drafted by the Cubs. Bullington is the second straight MAC first round pick by the Pirates, who selected John Vanbenschoten in the first round last season.
