The short answer is not much. Still, looking at what data we do have for Bundy at the major league level* is worth a glance, especially as we get closer to the 2015 season. And so, we’ll see if there’s anything to glean from the 43 pitches Bundy threw in front of PITCHf/x cameras.

*14 of these pitches came in the Futures game, so technically not against major leaguers.

Discuss Bundy’s future and his role in 2015 on the BSL Forums here.

Dylan Bundy figures to play a key role in the O’s plans for the coming season. He will continue to build his innings on his way back from Tommy John surgery, but expect to see the top prospect in Baltimore at some point this season.

We all know his minor league track record, though it’s worth re-visiting for some context. Bundy pitched 8 games at single-A Delmarva in 2012 allowing 0 earned runs over 30 innings. Upon being bumped up to Frederick, Bundy was able to post a 2.84 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning against older competition. Bundy also threw 16.2 IP at AA Bowie that season, which came with a 3.24 ERA.

Bundy then missed the 2013 season with Tommy John surgery. However he bounced back in 2014, throwing 41.1 innings across lo-A Aberdeen and Hi-A Frederick while rehabbing from his elbow surgery. Bundy fared well at Aberdeen, but struggled a bit at Frederick. It’s worth noting however that the young righty was still more than 18 months younger than the average player in the single-A league that Frederick plays in.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Bundy has never been considered to be worse than the 20th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America, MLB.com, or Baseball Prospectus. The pedigree is phenomenal, with his rankings ranging from 20th (MLB.com pre-2014) to 2nd (Baseball America & MLB.com pre-2013).

As I mentioned previously, Bundy threw 43 pitches in the majors during his brief stint as a reliever during the 1.2 innings the powerful righty threw in 2012. 27 of those pitches were fastballs which averaged more than 95 mph. Bundy also threw six change ups which averaged 87 mph, 5 sliders at 85 mph, and 5 curveballs at 77 mph. This gives Bundy a pretty good range of velocities, though it’s not ideal that both of his breaking balls sit between 85 and 87 mph.

That said, Bundy has some pretty distinct differences in his movement profiles. Not just between the two breaking balls, but also between the rest of his pitches. You can see the vertical and horizontal movement of Bundy’s offerings from those 2012 relief outings below:

Bundy pitch movement

Bundy pitch movement

This wide array of movement means that when Bundy releases the ball his pitch could end up anywhere in an area approximately 250 square inches in size, which is more than half the size of the strikezone.

As for where Bundy worked opposing hitters, it depended on the handedness of the batter. Lefties saw pitches primarily high and outside while righties were worked up and in and low and away. These locations are good because it’s difficult for hitters to drive the ball off pitches in those locations. It should be noted here that the sample size is so small, there are some big caveats that go with these findings. For this reason I won’t include the zome images, but do note that Bundy does appear to work hitters out of traditional power zones, especially down and in.

Like I said before, there isn’t much to learn from just 43 pitches captured by PITCHf/x. This is doubly true due to the simple fact that Bundy had Tommy John surgery in the years since this data was collected. Still, if PITCHf/x can give us any insights into Bundy’s repertoire and approach, it’s worth looking into. Personally, I can’t wait for Bundy to pitch in Baltimore this season.

Jeff Long
Jeff Long

Jeff was the owner of the Orioles blog Warehouse Worthy, which focused on making advanced statistics a part of the conversation for the average fan. Outside of baseball, Jeff is a graduate of Loyola University where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Business Administration. The Maryland native currently works for an Advertising Agency in downtown Baltimore. Previously a contributor to Beyond the Boxscore, he joined Baseball Prospectus in September 2014. You can reach him at [email protected].

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