Orioles Top 30 Prospects One Day at a Time

Now that the minor league season is finally in the books, and the Major League schedule is right behind it, it's time to examine and evaluate the depth that is left in the Orioles minor league system. At a glance, it seems like there really isn't much left in the cupboard.

Matt Wieters, Chris Tillman, Brad Bergesen, David Hernandez, Jason Berken, Nolan Reimold, and Lou Montanez have all graduated from the minors as a part of the Orioles stellar Class of 2009. All were members of the Orioles top 30 prospects as ranked by Baseball America. Wieters, Tillman and Reimold ranked 1st, 2nd and 5th. Like I said, who does that leave?

Upon further examination, though, you can find plenty of talent, albeit at a lesser level, but parts that will all be vital to the Orioles working their way out of the American League East cellar.

So, here it begins, a day-by-day look at the Orioles Top 30 Prospects, as ranked by yours truly, beginning with #30....

Bobby Bundy, RHP, 19 years old

Bundy ranks 30th in my list of top prospects in the O's organization. He's a 6'2'' 215 pound fire-baller from Sperry, Oklahoma and was the Orioles 8th round pick in the 2008 draft.

Prior to the 2008 draft, Bundy was ranked as one of the top prep pitchers, but tore his ACL in a basketball game. His stock slipped, but was still pegged as a 2nd-4th round talent, especially after he came back and pitched Sperry High to a state championship wearing a knee brace the whole time.

For his high school career Bundy totaled some ridiculous numbers. A 39-4 record, an ERA just over 1.00, and 409 strikeouts in 217 innings. His junior year alone made him a hero in his local area: 17-2 0.97 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 92 innings. And oh yeah, another state title.

The Orioles saw enough in Bundy to consider using a higher pick on him, but when he slipped to the 8th round, the O's were more than happy to scoop him up.

His ACL fully recovered, Bundy made his short-season debut with Bluefield this year. Used as a starter, Bundy made huge strides, but his statistics didn't necessarily show them. In 12 games, the righty compiled a 2-7 record with a 5.10 ERA. He showed flashes of potential and did pitch a seven-inning complete game, in which he struck out five and walked none, but mostly his season was inconsistent at best.

Bobby Bundy, RHP, 19 years old

Bundy has all the tools to succeed as a starter. He has a fastball which can reach the mid 90's, but prefers to sit in the 89-93 range. His primary job this season was to straighten out his fastball and point it in the direction of the strike zone more often, and for the most part he succeeded. Bundy issued only 19 walks in 54.2 innings.

Bundy also tends to try to rely on the strikeout too much and that was something Orlando Gomez and the coaching staff at Bluefield tried to ween him of. In that they were mostly successful, as Bundy had only a 6.26 K per nine rate.

Bundy's curveball also came a long way this season. As a high schooler, he clearly didn't have to use the pitch that often, instead choosing to use a changeup, but he'll have to develop it even further if he wants to have a chance to stick as a starter.

As a person, Bundy appears to be as good as they come. His high school coach called him one of the most dedicated and hard-working players he'd ever coached, but also credited him with being the essential team player.

Bobby Bundy, RHP, 19 years old

Bundy made his short-season debut this season, and fared so so. It was the kind of season, especially coming off an ACL injury, where progress was more important than the results. In that aspect, he succeeded.

Where does he go from here? Bundy will probably spend most of the early part of the 2010 season in extended spring training, refining his pitches, especially his curve, before taking the field as an Aberdeen Ironbird. Bundy is only 19 years old right now, but will be 20 by the time short-season ball starts. He should be the ace or at least the #2 guy on the staff. I would expect him to stay at Aberdeen most, if not all, of the season, unless he pitches out of his mind.

Bundy has as much raw talent as anyone in the Orioles system; it's just a matter of harnessing it. He could very easily end up at the top half of this list come the end of the 2010 season. If he can figure out his curve and continue to improve his changeup, he could wind up as a #2 or #3 starter at the big league level.

Hopefully, then it will be easier to get a better, non-grainy picture of him.