Throwing Another Arm Against the Wall

Has the signing of a number-1 OVERALL draft pick ever garnered less attention?

I know that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and many are more interested in the Whitlock v. Mangino battle of the flab, but c’mon, Royal fans, this is a pitcher with real talent we’re talking about, isn’t it?!

Oh, wait, he was the number-1 overall pick in 2002?  Wasn’t that the same class including the last names of players like Greinke, Upton, Hamels, Fielder, Cain, and Francis?  So, this guy must be worth something, right?  He’s got to be under-30 still?  What’s that you say?  Kansas City will be his fourth organization?   … And, the other three gave up on the righty even though their big league staffs have been nothing to write home about?  Is he really no better than recent additions like Brad Thompson, Jorge Campillo, and John Bannister?

Our mystery man is … Bryan Bullington.  The Royals inked him to a minor league deal today and it looks like he will be one of the hundreds of arms that Dayton Moore plans to work out in Arizona come the spring (Is the Surprise facility even large enough for all of the arms that will be there in March?  Has this team budgeted for all the horsehide they’ll be going through?).

Bullington’s career has been in a tailspin ever since that June day in 2002 when the Pirates pinned their hopes on the Ball State hurler.  Obviously, a look at the 2009 NL Central standings (as well as all of those since 2002), shows that the Bucs never had those hopes filled.

Bullington started well.  He was victorious in 34 of his first 69 starts in the Pirate system, but his three year ascension up the minor league ladder still had to be considered slower than most expected for a collegiate pitcher who was selected with the first pick in the draft.  Then, the train derailed completely when Bullington suffered a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.  Since then he has bounced from the Pirates, to Cleveland, to Toronto, and, finally, to Kansas City.  At the age of 29, he has tossed 18.1 innings of big league baseball, collecting five losses in 13 showings.

In the end, this is a “Why Not?”-move.  KC seems to be building towards a grand unveiling of pitching talent in the coming years, but outside of Aaron Crow, it’s doubtful any of that arrives in 2010.  Plus, it looks like Bullington will be coming out of the bullpen now.  His dreams of starting have washed out and considering how dreadful the current crop of relief arms are for Kansas City, this move makes plenty of sense.

He once had it … can he recapture a portion of it?  Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s already made $4-million with his first MLB contract … maybe he can spot the front office a few dollars as they hunt down a catcher for next year.