When Dylan Bundy was last in Bowie in 2012, he was in the midst of a swift rise from Class-A to the Orioles' major league bullpen in the span of a year. He returns to the Double-A Baysox in 2015 on an innings limit, yet another step in his return back from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
Manager Gary Kendall said Bundy would be limited to three innings or 60 pitches to begin the season, and Bundy said that would be his limit for the first four or five starts before he's bumped up to four innings.
"It's an innings limit, and that's fine with me," Bundy said. "They're looking out for my arm, so it's going to be a long process the whole year. Hopefully by July I'm up to five innings, and I'm happy with that."
Bundy acknowledged that the plan could ultimately get him to Baltimore before he hits his innings limit, but he said the plan has to work and he has to pitch well enough to earn that.
"That's up to them, [but] it kind of depends on how I pitch, too," he said. "But I know I'm going to be at three or four innings for a couple months, and I can't go up to the big leagues throwing three innings as a starter."
Bundy was 2-0 in three starts with Bowie in 2012, as part of a minor league debut seasonin shich he didn't allow an earned run in eight starts for Class-A Delmarva and finished 9-3 with a 2.08 ERA over three minor league stops. He also made two appearances in the Orioles' bullpen, and was slated to return to the minors in 2013 before elbow issues forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Bundy returned midway through 2014 and made three starts for short-season Class-A Aberdeen before making six starts with a 4.78 ERA and a 15/13 strikeout/walk ratio for High-A Frederick. His season was cut short by an oblique issue, and after allowing four runs with three strikeouts and six walks in six major league spring training innings, he will slowly ramp up his innings in 2015 just as he did early in 2012.
The right-hander, selected fourth overall in 2011, said he's fully healthy out of spring training for the first time in years, though his arsenal isn't where he'd like it to be.
"I'm still trying to get my mechanics to where I used to be, and also command of my pitches, really," Bundy said. "They say it's difficult coming off surgery like that getting your command back, so definitely just have got to work on it."
Kendall said the plan for Bundy -- including both his slot in the rotation (fifth, behind Tim Berry, Elih Villanueva, Parker Bridwell, and Brandon Kline) and the innings limit -- came from the Orioles' front office.
"I'm comfortable with it," Kendall said. "[It's] whatever the organization wants us to do with Dylan, but he's going to be fine."