The former first overall pick of the 2002 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates just a year ago was left for dead. The Royals picked up Bullington in the spring of this season as a reclamation project. Since then, he has done nothing but shined for the Royals. While optioned to the Omaha Royals (AAA) he went 8-2 with a 2.82 ERA.
He was promoted to the Royals earlier in August and had a decent outing on 8/10 only to come up with a loss. Yesterday he pitched what I would consider to be one of the best outings against the Yankees this year. A two hit gem that might very well be his crowning acheivment.
At 29 he is way past his prime years and for the most part he is a fringe major league starter. He will most likely carve out a few more seasons in the majors, but for the most part this will more than likely be the highlight in a career that has seen some terrible lowlights. In a draft that had BJ Upton, Greinke, Fielder, Sauders, Kazmir, Hamels, and Swisher it was a terrible pick by the Pirates.
As for his value on the secondary market, it is still in the bargain bin. a week ago you could have had the card below for $2-$3. Yesterday it sold for $8.75. I can’t imagine that the price is going to keep at this level for too long. At least until he gets his option back to Omaha or dropped from the Royals all together. But for one shining moment, on 8/15/10 he shut down one of the best lineups in the game and for a brief moment he lived up to the hype of a former number one overall draft pick.
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