Yankees hitters vs. Baltimore Orioles’ starting rotation

Dylan Bundy

A former first-round draft pick, fourth overall, Bundy had all the upside you could imagine. Drafted out of high school at 18, Bundy had a fastball which could reach 100 mph. A high schooler throwing that hard was and still is exceptional; accompanying his overpowering fastball with two above-average breaking pitches, curveball and slider.

Because of his potential and ability for such a young arm, Bundy earned a draft position above many future stars, including Anthony Rendon, Francisco Lindor, Javy Baez, and George Springer to name a few.

Fast forward to today and Bundy has had a mediocre career, in which he has yet to have a season with an ERA under four (except for his MLB debut season, which 19-year-old Bundy pitched 1.2 innings with zero runs allowed).

Bundy’s former best pitch, the fastball, which is relied on a majority of the time, has seen its velocity drop since high school; this is very unusual. In fact, Bundy has seen all of his pitches decrease in speed.

Because of this drop in velocity, especially in his fastball, which averaged around 92 mph, Bundy has seen below average outcomes from his fastball. A pitch which batters do not tend to whiff on, his fastball is more of a filler pitch, used to vary speeds from his breaking pitches which have, contrary to his draft scouting report, become his stronger pitches.

Depending on his breaking pitches last season more than ever, all three of these pitches have seen success in some way. With his curveball and slider having batting averages against, below .200 and his slider resulting in no contact after swinging over 25 percent of the time, Bundy still has something to show for his decreased overall pitching ability.