Pittsburgh Pirates: 1997-2007; 10+ Years of Draft Blunders

(Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images)

With their first No. 1 overall pick since they selected Kris Benson in 1996, the 2002 draft saw the Pittsburgh Pirates select Ball State's Bryan Bullington.  With this selection I will retract my statement earlier about Clint Johnson being the biggest bust during this 10 year period. 

Bryan Bullington was selected before B.J. Upton, Prince Fielder, Zach Grienke, Jeff Francis, and Jeremy Hermida.  Coming later in the first round were stars such as Cole Hamels, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, James Loney, and Matt Cain.

Bryan Bullington was drafted mainly due to his "sign-ability".  Bullington was never a good pitcher in the minor leagues, and due to the success of players listed above was a turning point for Pirates fans.  At that point they've "had enough."

The yearly trade this star and that star for the future has begun, and the Pirates were losing the likes of Jason Schmidt, Brian Giles, Aramis Ramirez among others for next to nothing. 

Even with these "money saving moves," the Pirates went cheap in the draft.  For a team building towards the future that is a TERRIBLE idea, and the Pirates lost their fans over this time frame.

With the mistake that is known as Bryan Bullington, I will correct it and have the Pirates select SS/CF B.J. Upton.

2003 saw the Pirates make a draft decision that paid off for once when the Pirates selected Paul Maholm eighth overall.  He wasn't however the best player in the 8th to 18th slots either.  John Danks, Ian Stewart, and current Pirate Lastings Milledge take that distinction.

I won't go into detail about Paul Maholm due to most Pirate fans knowing of him, and what he brings to the table and what he's done throughout his career.  To make this easy, I will re-draft Paul Maholm for the Pirates in this case.

In 2004, the Pirates selected a Catcher from Pine Richland High School (PA) named Neil Walker.  Neil Walker is still currently in the Pirates organization, however, he is now playing 3B in Indianapolis.  Players selected around Neil include SS Stephen Drew, 1B/3B/OF Billy Butler, 3B/LF Josh Fields, and SP Phil Hughes.

I won't go into great detail about Walker due to him still being in the Pirates organization and a future "player profile" on him as well. 

He's made a very successful conversion from catcher to third, but is struggling at the plate with AAA Indianapolis this season.  He seems to be positioned, however, for a September call-up.  Neil Walker could be in the everyday lineup as early as 2010.

With no major impact players selected near him, and having B.J. Upton roaming Jack Wilson's territory, the Pirates will re-select Neil Walker.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?