Catching Kevin Gausman pitch on Sunday was a treat, and I knew that watching Dylan Bundy make his Bowie debut would also make for another extremely impressive pitching performance.
Bundy did not disappoint, and showed some obvious improvements from the first time I saw him this season.
Photo: Ted Williams
Just like Kevin Gausman on Sunday, Bundy went right after hitters and absolutely pounded the bottom of the strike zone, as evidenced by the chart below.
One thing that Bundy has clearly improved upon is the command of his changeup. As you can see in the chart below, Bundy did not throw a single changeup in the upper two-thirds of the zone. All of his changeups were well located and down in the zone.
Bundy’s fastball was in the 93-97 mph range and his command of it was very good. A lot of the fastballs on the lower-edges of the plate could have been called strikes if thrown in the same location again. They were that close.
There was so much movement on Bundy’s fastball that at times I had to check on the velocity of a pitch to determine whether or not it was a fastball or changeup. There was a fan sitting in front of us who at one point thought Bundy’s fastball was a slider due to the movement on it.
Even when Bundy did not get a call his way, he did not show signs of frustration and stayed focused on the mound. Bundy is known for having great determination and a good head on his shoulders, and his composure last night was a perfect example of that.
He floated a couple curves, but overall Bundy showed a pretty good feel for his curveball, which has two-plane break and good depth. He managed to get a few check swings on some of his curveballs in the dirt.
Bundy still was not throwing his cutter, and will not be throwing it in the minors this season in order to further develop his other pitches.
As shown in the chart, Bundy’s control throughout the entire game was outstanding. Notice the entire blank area in the upper third of the strike zone. If the umpire had been a bit more generous he would not have issued three walks.
It was only one start, but a 19-year-old holding his own at Double-A isn’t something that happens often. And Bundy did just that.
For more on Dylan Bundy‘s Bowie debut, be sure to read Ben’s interview with Bundy and pitching coach Kennie Steenstra.
 Fastball 71 |
 Changeup13 |
 Curveball12 |
