Scott Bullett

Scott Douglas Bullett

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.

• High School Martinsburg High School

• Debut September 3, 1991
• Final Game September 29, 1996
• Born December 25, 1968 in Martinsburg, WV USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Scott Bullett played baseball professionally for 18 years, including parts of four seasons in the major leagues. He hit .300 or better in minor league A and AAA ball, had one solid season with the Chicago Cubs, then topped .300 in the independent leagues and numerous times in the Mexican League. His international adventures also took him to Japan and Taiwan. Amazingly, he did all of this despite being undrafted out of high school.

High school and Rookie ball

In high school, Scott made the All-Tournament team in West Virginia's High School Boys' Basketball Tournament. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1988. Debuting with the GCL Pirates, the West Virginian hit an unimpressive .180/~.275/.196 and was caught stealing 5 times in 7 attempts. Returning to the club the next year, he improved to .255/~.305/.352 with 15 stolen bases. He was a switch-hitter at the time and would remain so until 1993, when he moved to hitting left-handed full-time.

1990-1991: Becoming a prospect

Scott began to develop as a prospect in 1990 with a .302/~.336/.412 batting line for the Welland Pirates. He ranked 9th in the New York-Penn League in average, right ahead of Jeromy Burnitz, a first-round draft pick that year. He stole 30 bases while only being caught six times in 74 games. Bullett made the NYPL All-Star team in the outfield and was rated the league's #9 prospect by Baseball America, one slot ahead of Burnitz. His baserunning continued to improve in 1991. He swiped 63 bases, the most in the Pirates farm system, and also led the team's minor leaguers in runs scored (83) and hits (161). The speedy outfielder hit .284/~.331/.380 with 48 steals in 95 games for the Augusta Pirates and .333/~.366/.481 with 15 steals in 39 games for the Salem Buccaneers. A September call-up, Bullett pinch-ran in 8 of his 11 games, was a defensive sub once, pinch-hit once and got just one start. He went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, scored twice and stole one base in two tries. Baseball America rated him Pittsburgh's #2 prospect behind Steve Cooke and the top position player prospect.

1992-1993: Last years in the Pittsburgh system

Scott slipped somewhat in 1992, when he hit .270/~.308/.375 for the Carolina Mudcats, striking out 98 times while drawing only 28 walks. He stole 29 bases, but was gunned down 21 times on the basepaths. He did go 4 for 10 with two triples in a brief stint with the Buffalo Bisons. Baseball America downgraded him to Pittsburgh's 10th-best prospect, 5th among outfielders after Midre Cummings, Danny Clyburn, Al Martin and Trey Beamon. Bullett led Pirates minor leaguers in 1993 with six triples, all with Buffalo. His batting line read .287/~.349/.355 with the Bisons and he stole 28 bases in 45 tries. He played 23 games for the Bucs, hitting .200/.237/.273, getting a shot at the starting center field job while Andy Van Slyke was injured. In winter ball, he batted .344/?/.583 for the Sun Cities Solar Sox, 5th-best in the Arizona Fall League. In March, Pittsburgh dealt him to the Chicago Cubs for Travis Willis.

1994-1995: Producing well in Iowa and Chicago

Spending all of the strike season with the Iowa Cubs, Bullett hit .308/.334/.449 and stole 27 bases in 43 tries. He showed fair home run power for the first time, cracking 13 homers. His walk/strikeout ratio was poor, though (19 to 110). He led the Cubs farm system in hits (163), total bases (238) and strikeouts and named Organization Player of the Year. He tied Allen Battle for the American Association lead in hits and had the most at-bats in the league. He was fifth in sacrifice hits (11) and finished 7th in the Association in batting average. He was ranked the league's 5th-best prospect by Baseball America, one spot behind Ray Durham. Bullett spent his only full season in the majors with the Cubs in 1995 and hit well, with a 110 OPS+. He batted .273/.331/.460 and had 7 triples in 150 at bats. He hit an impressive .324/.405/.568 in 43 games as a pinch-hitter, making him one of the best bench threats in the NL. He also was used regularly as a defensive substitute in left field.

1996: Last major league season and final MLB stats

Scott's fortunes shifted considerably the next year as he hit just .212/.256/.297 for the Cubs for a 45 OPS+. He had a 751 OPS in the first half but only 451 in a miserable second half. He hit .203/.250/.220 as a pinch-hitter and also played three games for the Orlando Cubs, going 2 for 11 with a walk and two steals. Overall, Bullett had batted .233/.283/.356 in the majors with 19 steals in 28 tries and 9 triples in 374 at bats.

1997: Rochester

Let go by Chicago, Bullett was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles and spent all of 1997 with the Rochester Red Wings. He hit .250/~.311/.381 with 19 steals in 30 tries, 8 triples and 112 strikeouts. He tied for the most triples of any Baltimore farmhand that season.

1998: Taiwan

In 1998, Scott played for the President Lions in the CPBL. He hit .303/~.380/.477 in 79 games and stole 36 bases while only being caught 7 times. He was 6th in the CPBL in steals.

1999-2001: Indy ball, Mexican League star, Colorado Springs

Bullett split 1999 between the Allentown Ambassadors (.361/?/.590, 28 RBI in 83 at bats) and the Campeche Pirates (.336/~.430/.427, 18 steals in 28 tries, 16 intentional walks in 87 games). In 2000, Scott joined the Broncos de Reynosa and really lit up the Mexican League. He hit .333/~.383/.622, exhibiting power he had not show before. He smacked 35 home runs, drove in 100, scored 94 times and stole 24 bases in 33 tries. He continued to walk rarely, drawing just 29 free passes. Bullett also dazzled in a 11-game spell with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, hitting .450/.500/.550. Scott hit .341/.406/.613 for Reynosa in 2001 and was fifth in the Liga in batting average. He again made an appearance with Colorado Springs, hitting .256/.253/.410 in 21 games at age 32.

2002: Japan

Bullett signed with the Chunichi Dragons for 2002, replacing former Cubs teammate Ozzie Timmons. Scott struggled and spent time in ni-gun; overall, he hit .201/.227/.409 for Chunichi, homering 7 times in 149 at bats but striking out 45 times while drawing just five walks. His speed gone, he only stole 2 bases in 3 tries.

2003-2006: Mexico

Scott returned to Mexico in 2003 and hit .317/.403/.577 for Reynosa and .325/.411/.563 for the Monterrey Sultans. In 2004, Bullett produced at a .354/.410/.517 clip for Monterrey, finishing 8th in the league in batting average. In 2005, Bullett moved to the Yucatan Lions and hit .317/.379/.586 with 25 homers, the second-best mark of his career. He even showed some of his old speed, stealing 12 in 14 tries and legging out 6 triples, fourth in the Liga. In 2006, the veteran split time between Yucatan and the Tabasco Olmecas, hitting a combined .336/?/.545 with 19 homers and 78 RBI.

Baseball Clinic

Scott has run the Bullett Proof Prospects Baseball Club for years in Welland, ON, where he settled after having played there early in his career. He began the training camps while still active.

Sources

1989-2007 Baseball Almanacs, 1989, 1991, 1995, 2005 and 2006 Baseball Guides, West Virginia High School Basketball All-Tournament Teams, Japanbaseballdaily.com by Gary Garland, Michael Westbay's Japanesebaseball.com, Taiwanese baseball database by KT Chiu, The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros, The Baseball Cube

Related Sites

• Scott Bullett at the SABR Bio Project
• Bullett Proof Prospects Baseball Club