Baltimore Orioles: The Progress of Dylan Bundy

Jun 15, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy (37) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

Recent outings by Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy have been a performance of the sort of player long hoped for by O’s fans.

After several years of injuries, the highly-regarded prospect is healthy for the first time. And though he is not ready at this point to be the front-end starter as envisioned when he was drafted, the velocity and aggressive approach is certainly of that character.

Clearly the Orioles’ plan for Bundy is to build his innings over time as a multiple-inning reliever, with a few toward him making some starts in the final segment of the season. By next year it would be hoped he could become a regular part of the rotation.

At this point, Bundy has pitched in a total of 22 games, logging 38 innings with a 3.08 ERA. He pitched 2.1 innings in the Dodgers finale game, getting all seven outs by strikeout.

The season began well for Bundy in April. In seven games and nine innings, opponents only scored two runs, though they were 11-for-35 off him (.312). He only registered two strikeouts.

May was a more difficult month with 12 innings in eight games. The ERA was 6.75, giving up 19 hits and five walks.

But June and July has been a new experience and arrival for the young pitcher. His 1.23 ERA was the result of an increased number of strikeouts and far less bat contact. In the first two months, Bundy only struck out 10 batters, but since then there have been 22.

The most encouraging sight has been his fastball often registering in the high nineties. There is decent ball movement, with secondary pitches therefore being rather devastating.

Bundy is another of the young O’s pitchers who are in a position of having to learn on the job. But the progress could be such that, if the Orioles can hang on as a major contender going into September, Bundy could arrive as an effective starter in the final stretch.