Former Uber-Prospect Dylan Bundy Showing He Can Shine in Pennant Race

There weren’t many who thought Dylan Bundy could substantially contribute to the Baltimore Orioles this season. And that list of people included the organization and Bundy himself.

There wasn’t a question as to whether Bundy would make the club out of spring training. He was out of options, meaning they couldn’t send him back down to the minors. So to keep him, the Orioles needed to put him on the MLB roster.

The plan was to stash the 2011 draft’s fourth overall pick in the bullpen. His debut as an MLB starter was supposed to be in 2017 after a rash of arm injuries kept him off the field for much of the past three seasons.

The organization first wanted Bundy to enjoy a full season of health before asking him to start for the team.

Over the past month, though, that timeline has been accelerated and Bundy, 23, has become a vital part of a desperate Orioles rotation.

“I didn’t want to be that guy that they just didn’t have anywhere to put me so they put me in the bullpen," Bundy told Bleacher Report. "I really wanted to go into spring training competing for a spot."

Bundy made his MLB debut in 2012 when he pitched 1.2 innings over two appearances. He hadn’t pitched another MLB game until this season when he began to throw again out the bullpen.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013, a year of rehab, followed almost immediately by calcification (a buildup of calcium in a concentrated area of the body) in his right pitching shoulder, the idea was for Bundy to enjoy a season free of injuries before being thrown into the rotation.

But his stellar performance as a reliever—he posted a 3.08 ERA in 22 relief appearances—combined with a glaring need for starting pitching—through Sunday’s games, Orioles starters ranked 26th in both ERA (4.89) and innings pitched (601.2)—forced Baltimore's hand and Bundy's place in the rotation.

This season, Bundy has posted an overall ERA of 3.05 with a 1.246 WHIP.

Over his last two starts this season, Bundy has pitched 13 innings, struck out 16, walked two, allowed only five hits and two earned runs.

Bundy’s emergence comes at a critical time.

Baltimore’s bullpen has been outstanding this season, ranking second in MLB with a 3.08 ERA. But it has also been overworked. Through Sunday’s action, the Orioles had thrown the seventh-most innings of relief.

He could help preserve that bullpen as a starter by pitching deep into games. Keeping the relievers fresh will be important as Baltimore readies for the latter part of a three-team race for the AL East Crown.

Through Sunday, Baltimore sat a game ahead of Toronto in the AL East. Boston, in third place, was only three games out of first place.

It has been a division dominated by offense. The Red Sox, Blue Jays and Orioles sit first, sixth and eighth, respectively, in runs scored. Each team has a player in the AL's top four in slugging percentage. The Red Sox’s David Ortiz ranks first, the Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson second and the Orioles' Manny Machado fourth.

But ultimately the division may be decided by pitching.

At the deadline, each team sought starting pitching. Boston traded for Drew Pomeranz, Toronto added Francisco Liriano and Baltimore acquired Wade Miley.

Through Bundy’s addition to the starting rotation, the team made a de facto deadline addition. He can better impact the team as a starter than he could as a reliever.

Though he has more to prove, his pedigree is better than that of any of the aforementioned starters. 

This month, Bundy has shown the talent that scouts salivated over when he pitched for Owasso High School in Oklahoma and swept all the major national player of the year awards in 2011.

“He’s developed some secondary pitches and can go out there on some nights, not carry a big fastball and be able to survive,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s one of those rare guys that’s six-foot tall and can create some angle. Everybody talks about tall pitchers, but there are some short pitchers that can create some angles. I wouldn’t say he’s short, he’s just six-foot and everybody is wanting to grab those 6'4", 6'5" guys. There’s some tall guys that don’t pitch tall and there’s some shorter guys that pitch tall. Dylan is one of those guys that pitches tall.”

Bundy made his first MLB start on July 17 against the Tampa Bay Rays. It took the majority of the month to stretch him out. Given his injury history, Baltimore has monitored his workload.

Though Bundy’s pitch count is being watched, his efficiency has arguably been his greatest asset to date.

In his third career start against Colorado on July 27, he used 89 pitches to get through 5.2 innings. During his fourth start against a talented Texas Rangers lineup, Bundy used 88 pitches over seven shutout innings.

His 92-pitch outing over six innings against the White Sox on Sunday was a career high.

“I try to look at: Did I give the team a chance to win? If I did, I’m happy with it,” Bundy said. “If I didn’t, I’m not happy with it. That’s about as simple as I can keep it. That’s your goal as a starter—just going out there every fifth day and giving your team a chance to win.”

“He’s really developed a mental toughness,” Showalter said. “He already had it a little bit. But something you’ve done your whole life and then all of a sudden it’s taken away from you, you’re wondering if you’re going to be able to do it again, it makes you savor and enjoy the good things that can come your way. I think it’s actually made him a little bit better pitcher.”

Maybe it is also what has made his transition to the starting rotation appear so seamless.

The 2016 season has quickly gone from a test case of Bundy’s health to one in which the team is depending on him in a key role.

So much so that his right arm could be a determinant in the AL East race.

     

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.