Inside The Wildcats

Former Arizona Star Working Way Up After Going Undrafted

Tony Bullard has moved up to Double-A in the Marlins organization after going undrafted two years ago
Ari Koslow|
May 5, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; A general view of the Miami Marlins illuminated logo at loanDepot park during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
May 5, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; A general view of the Miami Marlins illuminated logo at loanDepot park during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

It was a limited start during his tenure at Arizona for Tony Bullard, appearing in just 36 games with 21 starts as a freshman. He showed flashes of what he was capable of, hitting .301 with two home runs and 17 RBI and a .412 on-base percentage. 

College Career

Bullard struggled to begin the 2020 season before the year was cut short early, but stepped into a larger role in his redshirt sophomore year in a season where he started 39 of the 47 games he appeared in. He hit .298 with seven home runs, 28 runs scored and 30 RBI. He had a six-game stretch in late May into June where he hit six of his home runs on the season before he took off in the postseason, hitting .382 with four home runs, nine runs scored and nine RBI across eight games. He went 7-for-12 at the plate in the Tucson Regional with another five hits across three games in the Super Regional against Ole Miss.

The third baseman for Arizona dealt with injuries to begin his junior campaign, struggling for most of the season before posting another huge postseason where he hit .310 with three doubles and four runs scored across eight games. 

Bullard finished his career off at Arizona with a bang, hitting .328 with 12 home runs, 42 RBI and 42 runs scored across 51 starts. He earned a Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention selection in a year where he posted career-bests in several categories including runs scored, hits, doubles, RBI and slugging percentage. He carried his momentum into the postseason for the third straight year, hitting .381 with two home runs and seven runs scored across six games. He went 7-for-12 across the Pac-12 Tournament which led him to earning a spot on the Pac-12 Baseball All-Tournament Team.

Professional Career

Despite his huge season to end his career at Arizona, Bullard went on to be undrafted that summer in the MLB Draft. He was able to sign a free agent contract with the Marlins, an opportunity he has since taken advantage of. 

He began in Single-A Jupiter that summer where he struggled to start, hitting .152 with two home runs across 22 games and 66 at-bats. 

Bullard remained in Single-A the following year, hitting .244 across 25 games before he was promoted to Double-A Beloit. The Arizona alum took off at that point, hitting .301 to close the season with 22 RBI and 16 walks drawn across the final 47 games. 

This year, Bullard opened with Double-A Pensacola where he is hitting .260 with four home runs and 12 RBI across 22 games and 77 at-bats. He missed almost one month of action due to an injury this year and was most recently placed on the Development List on July 19. 

The former Wildcat will look to continue to work his way up the Marlins farm system after going undrafted two years ago. 

What was your favorite moment during the career of Bullard at Arizona? Let us know and be sure to follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.

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Ari Koslow
ARI KOSLOW

Ari Koslow is a sports writer covering the University of Arizona athletics at On SI. Koslow has been covering Arizona sports for several years. Born and raised in Seattle, he is a diehard Seahawks fan and a longtime sufferer of the Mariners. He is a huge fantasy football fanatic. Koslow is a graduate of Arizona’s School of Journalism.