Ball State's Bullington goes to Pirates with No. 1 pick

NEW YORK -- The Pittsburgh Pirates know No. 1 draft pick Bryan Bullington still needs some work.

"We still look at him as a couple of years away," general manager Dave Littlefield said after taking the Ball State right-hander with the first pick in Tuesday's draft. "On the plus side, that may mean ... he'll be an even better pitcher than we see now."

Bullington, who throws a 94 mph fastball, is the first pitcher drafted with the top pick since Detroit took Rice right-hander Matt Anderson in 1997. Littlefield envisions Bullington as a No. 3 starter, evidence of the lack of star talent in this year's draft.

"We're talking about a guy who has accomplished a lot in his college career," Littlefield said. "He's improved a lot and, beyond the radar gun and the things that are easy to measure, he's a smart guy, he's very competitive and very determined."

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Bullington, the Mid-American Conference career strikeouts leader with 370, caught the Pirates' attention after going 11-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 139 strikeouts and 18 walks in 104 2-3 innings.

Although he knew he was being considered as a top pick, Bullington didn't know for sure until his name announced.

"We kept hearing top-three selections, but we never got any confirmation," said Bullington, who also throws a hard slider and tough curve. "I heard it when you heard it."

In a draft class that was generally considered lacking in college talent, 14 college players were taken in the first round. This year's crop didn't have as many surefire prospects as last year, when Minnesota took catcher Joe Mauer with the first pick and Cubs pitcher Mark Prior went second.