Baltimore Orioles: Happy Birthday to pitcher Dylan Bundy

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 21: Dylan Bundy #37 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 21, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 21: Dylan Bundy #37 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 21, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /
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Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Dylan Bundy, celebrates his 25th birthday today. He is now the same age as Baltimore Orioles All-Star Manny Machado and the notable rookie, Trey Mancini.

Even though he turned 26 back in October, Baltimore Orioles All-Star Jonathan Schoop had his break-out season at age 25 in the 2017 season.

Could age 25 be a good year for the right-handed pitcher? Hopefully, as he’s shown signs that he can keep up with the big boys in the American League.

Bundy is one of the few players who was drafted by the O’s and has continued with the team. If he follows in the footsteps of Mancini and Machado, who were also drafted by the O’s, then his age-25 season could be outstanding.

Ready for a breakout season

Bundy has only two full seasons under his belt and neither were particularly outstanding. But, neither were also particularly awful. His career ERA is 4.13, but as a young pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, he certainly has room for improvement. He gave up 26 home runs, which put him in third behind Ubaldo Jimenez, who had 33, and Kevin Gausman, who had 29.

Of the five top starters for the O’s, Bundy walked the fewest batters. He gave free bases to 51 hitters  – the same number that Chris Tillman gave up. But, Bundy pitched in 76 more innings than Tillman did. So, his walk percentage was significantly lower. In fact, Bundy pitched in the second highest number of innings, trailing Gausman by 17 innings.

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Predictions for 2018

In 2018, Bundy will have to step up his game. Baseball Reference predicts Bundy to have a 4.16 ERA and a WHIP of 1.253. These are reasonable predictions, but Bundy and Gausman both are due for big seasons.

Hanging with the elite

Bundy has proved that he’s got good stuff that has landed him among some elite pitchers in the American League. In 2017, Bundy finished 8th in the AL in WHIP with 1.196. The other pitchers near him on the list include Justin Verlander (7th), Sonny Gray (9th), and Alex Cobb (10th). Bundy also finished in the Top 10 list of lowest walks per nine. Carlos Carrasco was 7th and Michael Fulmer was 9th. These are notable lists for Bundy and the Orioles. He’s in company with the elite in the AL.

Next: Orioles who have won World Series MVP awards

It would be nice to see Bundy increase his strikeouts per nine. Gausman landed in the 10th spot on this list with 8.630. It would also be nice to see Bundy reduce the home runs he gives up and drop his ERA below four.