Dylan Bundy with the Baltimore Orioles before being traded to the Angels, where he has a 1.58 ERA thus far in 2020.
The Orioles and their inability to develop pitching is on full display yet again with the performance by Dylan Bundy thus far into the 2020 season. At the moment Bundy is the best statistical pitcher in baseball with a 3-1 record a 1.58 ERA a WHIP of 0.628 and a K rate of 11.0. For Orioles fans it’s conjuring up memories of Jake Arrieta and how well he performed with the Cubs immediately. This doesn’t just stop with Bundy and Arrieta. In fact the Orioles have a history of not being able to develop starting pitching ever since Mike Mussina. It’s a primary reason for the struggles they’ve endured for all but about a 4 year period over the last 23 seasons. In 1999 the Orioles signed a 19 year old fireballing amateur named Daniel Cabrera. In ’04 he’d make his debut and hang on with the O’s for 5 season but he never reached his potential tallying a 48-59 record with a 5.05 ERA. In 2002, 2 years after Mussina jumped for the Yankees, the Orioles drafted Adam Loewen with the 4th overall selection. How’d Loewen do? Well, by the time he was 27 he was attempting to make it as a hitter with the Blue Jays! He spent 3 years with the Orioles and posted an 8-8 record with a 5.38 ERA. Next on this dysfunctional development train is Zack Britton…yes Zack Britton. He was selected in the 3rd round of the 2006 draft with the intention of him being a starter. That lasted 3 seasons, as after an 18-17 record with an ERA in the high 4s they moved him to the bullpen, where yes, he did flourish but the organization still gets an F for developing a starter. NEXT!...Brian Matusz a 4th overall selection in 2008 he hung on with the club for 8 years but owns a 27-41 record and a 4.85 ERA. By the end he was, what is extinct now, a lefty specialist. The train keeps on rolling and we get to Kevin Gausman. He was a 4th overall selection in the 2010 draft and lasted with the team for 6 seasons posting a 39-51 record and a 4.22 ERA.
Now we get to the issue, the turnaround. First let’s look at Gausman because when he was traded to the Braves in 2018 he went from a 5-8 and 4.43 ERA in Baltimore to a 5-3 and 2.87 ERA in Atlanta. Now, to be fair, in 2019 Gausman imploded again and the Braves released him. He’s currently with San Francisco where he’s made 3 starts, has an ERA of 4.05 and an 0-1 record but his K rate is up to 10.4 after it lived around 8.2 for the Orioles.
Kevin Gausman, former Baltimore Oriole, now with the San Francisco Giants
Jake Arrieta is the big one though. After 4 bad seasons with the O’s where he went 20-25 with a 5.46 ERA and a 7.0 K/9 he goes to the Cubs and immediately turns it around. In 2013 he had an ERA of 7.23 over 5 starts with Baltimore and 3.66 ERA over 9 starts with the Cubs. He’d go on to win a Cy Young with the Cubs and post a 68-31 Record with a 2.73 ERA and 8.9 K/9 rate. What was Baltimore doing...or not doing to unlock that?
Now we have Dylan Bundy. The 2011 4th overall selection who disappointed to a 38-45 record with a 4.67 ERA and is now having a resurgence. 3-1 1.58 ERA and a 11.0 K/9 rate. Can it continue is the question? He’s using his slider, curve and change more than he had in Baltimore which is the big difference and makes the use of the fastball more effective. Thanks to Sarah Langs for the research there (@slangsonsports).
Here’s the thing, why couldn’t the Orioles figure that out with Bundy? If you’re an O’s fan and you’re reading this it should make you furious!
The one time in recent memory when it did look like the O’s had something, they traded it away. Almost as if they knew they’d mess it up. Does the name Erik Bedard sound familiar? On a bad O’s team from ’02-‘07 he was 40-34 with a 3.83 ERA and an 8.7 K/9 rate. Orioles fan will take this one though, it brought them all-time favorite Adam Jones and a very good starter for a few years Chris Tillman. After the trade Bedard did being to battle with injuries and never made more than 16 starts in a season for the Mariners over the 4 seasons he was with the club.
Bringing in Tillman leads me to my next point. While they can’t develop starters themselves, they have been able to pick it out from the shadows…
Jeremy Guthrie, doing nothing for Cleveland, picked up off Waivers in 2007. Had a lifetime losing record 47-65 and ERA of 4.12 in Baltimore but O’s fans loved him! For 5 really bad seasons he was the #1 in the rotation.
Wei-Yin Chen, signed in 2012 as amateur free agent. Goes 12-11 with 4.02 ERA in 2012 and in 4 seasons with O’s goes 46-32 with a 3.72 ERA.
Miguel Gonzalez, signed as a FA in March of 2012 after being cut by Red Sox. Goes 9-4 in 2012 with 3.25 ERA. In 4 season with O’s goes 39-33 with 3.82 ERA.
Jason Hammel, picked up from Rockies after 2011 where he went 7-13 with a 4.76 ERA. Goes to O’s and is 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA.
Chris Tillman, Picked up in the Bedard Trade. Looking like a bust in the M’s system with 5.28 and 4.84 ERA his first to pro seasons. After a few rocky seasons to start - ‘09-‘11 losing record and ERA over 5, he put together a nice run from ‘12-‘16 where he kept a winning record and an ERA in the 3s.
Ubaldo Jimenez is the big exception to this of course, 32-42 with a 5.22 ERA in 4 years with Orioles…EVERYONE but the Orioles Front Office knew it was a bad idea.
Is it just bad luck, or do they have no idea what they’re doing when developing starting pitching? Dylan Bundy is going to bring that question back into light. The Orioles are hoping John Means can break that trend. Last year Means was runner up to Rookie of the Year with a 12-11 record and 3.60 ERA. Where there’s a Means the O’s are hoping there’s and end…to the futility streak.
Find me on Twitter @JimRileyLive to continue the conversation