2002 Major League Baseball draft

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Bryan Bullington with the first overall pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

The 6'5", 225-pound hurler was ranked by Baseball America as having the best breaking ball and best command among all college pitchers.

Bullington set a MAC record in strikeouts and led the league in victories and ERA in 2002.

Other notable selections in the first round included Prince Fielder (Brewers), son of former Major Leaguer Cecil Fielder; and John Mayberry Jr. (Mariners), son of former Major Leaguer John Mayberry.

[1] This draft was discussed at length in the Michael Lewis book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, which analyzed Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane's approach to player scouting and development.

The Royals selected Zack Greinke sixth overall. The 6x All-Star is a 6x Gold Glove winner at pitcher , 2x Silver Slugger at pitcher , 2 x ERA leader , and the 2009 Cy Young Award winner .
The Brewers selected Prince Fielder 7th overall. Fielder is a 6x All-Star , 3x Silver Slugger at first base , and led the National League in home runs in 2007 .
The Mets selected Scott Kazmir 15th overall. Kazmir is a 3x All-Star and led the American League in strikeouts in 2007 .
The Phillies selected Cole Hamels 17th overall. In 2008 , the 4x All-Star led the Phillies to a World Series championship and was named World Series MVP .
The San Francisco Giants selected Matt Cain 25th overall. The 3x All-Star , pitched a perfect game in 2012 , and won the World Series in 2010 , and 2012 .
The Reds selected Joey Votto in the 2nd round. The 6x All-Star won the 2010 National League MVP Award .
The Red Sox selected Jon Lester in the 2nd round. A 5x All-Star , he is a 3x World Series champion.
The Braves selected Brian McCann in the 2nd round. McCann is a 7x All-Star and 6x Silver Slugger at catcher .
The Tigers selected Curtis Granderson in the 3rd Round. He is a 3x All-Star and a 2011 Silver Slugger as an outfielder .
The Angels selected Howie Kendrick in the 10th Round. a 2011 All-Star , He helped. lead the Nationals to the 2019 World Series championship.
The Dodgers selected Russell Martin in the 17th round. Martin is a 4x All-Star who in 2007 won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove at catcher .