PIRATES Bullington off to fast start in minor leagues

He's already been promoted once by the Bucs organization.
By MICHAEL POINTER
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR
Bryan Bullington senses that fans look a little more closely at him than at other players when he strolls to the mound. Opponents are more motivated to succeed against him, too.
No matter where he goes, the former Ball State standout is reminded he was the No. 1 pick in the major-league baseball draft 13 months ago. But Bullington said that just makes him more determined to succeed. It helps him keep his focus.
"People know who you are. They're definitely watching. But that's not a bad thing," said Bullington, who pitches for the Lynchburg (Va.) Hillcats, the Pittsburgh Pirates' affiliate in the Class A Carolina League.
Bullington's professional career is off to a good start. The Pirates already have promoted him once.
Still far from sure thing
But stardom is far from a sure thing. Since baseball began its amateur draft in 1965, only two top picks -- Alex Rodriguez in 1993 by Seattle and Ken Griffey Jr. by Seattle in 1987 -- appear to be locks for the Hall of Fame, although injuries have slowed Griffey's home run pace in the past three years.
Some have become solid major-leaguers, such as Rick Monday by the Kansas City Athletics in 1965 and Harold Baines by the Chicago White Sox in 1977. Others have been washouts, including Josh Hamilton, Tampa Bay's top pick in 1999, who is out of baseball.
Baseball America editor Alan Simpson, a longtime draft analyst, said the top pick remains a crap shoot, even in this era of video, statistical analysis and sophisticated scouting.
"That's the way it's always been and will be under the current system," Simpson said. "Until the college player is ready to step in at the big-league level, I don't know if that will ever change."
Bullington was a standout baseball and basketball player at Madison High School in southeastern Indiana. He blossomed at Ball State, where scouts saw a 6-5 hard-throwing right-hander with good mechanics.
He was used to performing under pressure, too. His father, Larry, was his basketball coach at Madison and is now the coach of Class 4A state champion Pike High School in Indianapolis.
A solid player
"Obviously, he has a very good arm," said Brian Graham, the Pirates' director of player development. "But ... the thing we weren't aware of until we got him into spring [training] were his intangibles. His mental toughness, his instincts. ... He's a really solid guy."
Bullington started his pro career this year by going 5-1 with a 1.39 ERA for Hickory (N.C.) of the South Atlantic League. He had 46 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 45 1/3 innings.
That earned him a promotion to Lynchburg of the Carolina League, considered a higher-level Class A league. He was 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA heading into Thursday night's start against Salem (Va.), with 16 strikeouts and nine walks in 28 innings.