Dylan Bundy missing his cutter

[kyleott]

Ok, I'm sure I'll be in the minority here, but I don't get not letting him use the cutter. Like he said himself, he's 19y.o. Let him use his best stuff, fine tune his best pitch, and let him learn how to dominate professional ballplayers. I mean watching David Price yesterday, I feel like he threw about 80% cutters...if you have one pitch that is that good, you really don't need a whole lot else to dominate.

Price only added his cutter to his arsenal last year*, so if you're arguing that it didn't hinder his progression to the majors, then you would be mistaken. However, if you are arguing that the cutter is an effective enough pitch that secondaries are less of an importance, then I would again say you are mistaken. I guess you could be arguing that it is equally important to refine the cutter as it is his fastball command or off-speed pitches, however by all accounts his cutter was by far his most impressive pitch in high school, and it sounded like he was indeed overusing it. I assume that the organization hasn't shelved it in bullpen sessions, and he is still putting in work with the pitch. In conclusion, forcing him to use only his fastball, change, and curve to get batters out is a very good decision at this point, because now he will be able to even more effectively use his cutter from here on out with all of his other pitches hitting their intended locations, that cut fastball will make batters even more uncomfortable.

*http://www.draysbay.com/2011/9/15/2426396/tb-rays-david-prices-cutter-better-than-you-think-nash-equilibrium

[NCRaven]

The kid is 19 years old, competitive as heck, and doing everything they tell him to do. If I'm the O's, I'm smiling when he makes comments like that.

I don't mind Bundy speaking his mind, so long as he does what the team asks him to do.

Bundy was asked a question and answered it. He didn't say he was mad at the organization or that it wasn't good for him... By the way, I've talked to Denver several times this year and not once has he told me he was upset with how Dylan is being developed. Not once.

Bundy's not nearly as bent out of shape about this as you seem to be.

Think I over-reacted a bit?

[hoosiers]

IAt the end of the day, the idea for this season was to get him 125 innings, work on command of his fastball, curveball and changeup, and end the year in Double-A. I believe he will have reached all of those goals before the years out. He can start 2013 in Bowie's rotation with all of his pitches and move up to Norfolk when he dominates. If he dominates AAA hitters and can get to seven innings consistently, then he's ready for the big leagues.

Tony, can you comment more on the benefit of DB shelving a quality pitch to "work on FA command, curveball and changeup"? Are you familiar with other pitching prospects being asked to pitch without one of his quality offerings? Is this common practice in the development of pitching prospects? If so, what %? If not, why not?

Is the "dominates AAA hitters and can get to 7 innings consistently" a new criteria for elevating a pitching prospect from Norfolk to Bmore? What does "consistently" mean here - two starts, five starts, 10 starts? The Os have promoted Hernandez, Bergesen, Berken, Tillman, Matusz and Arrietta in recent years and this does not appear to have been where the performance bar was set for them - a group that includes at least two very highly rated prospects at one time - BMat and Tillman.

[NCRaven]

How well did those early promotions of Hernandez (reliever), Bergesen (waived reliever), Berken (minor league reliever), Tillman (finally looks like he's figured it out after going up and down for three seasons), Matusz and Arrieta (both disasters this year and back in the minors)? I have no problem with Tony's criteria.

[byrdz]

Bundy and his father should shut their pie holes. I'm getting tired of thier b*tching. He's admitted that he needs to command his FB and off speed pitches better. And, last I looked, when your employer, especially one that is paying you $millions, tells you to do something, you shut up and do it. Preferably with a smile.

I do it for a hell of a lot less than that! Besides this plan makes perfect sense to me. What they've been doing with the pitchers hasn't been working this far. May as well try something different.

[Grt 2BA FL Gator]

How well did those early promotions of Hernandez (reliever), Bergesen (waived reliever), Berken (minor league reliever), Tillman (finally looks like he's figured it out after going up and down for three seasons), Matusz and Arrieta (both disasters this year and back in the minors)? I have no problem with Tony's criteria.

Having looked at this multiple times now, Neither Tillman nor Arrieta were really "rushed" before being promoted IMO.

Tillman had 18 starts in AAA in 2009 with a 2.70 ERA, a 9.2 K/9 and a 2.2 BB/9.

Arrieta had 17 starts in AAA in 2009 with a 3.93 ERA. Before his promotion in 2010 he had 11 starts at AAA with a 1.85 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.

Obviously, Tillman's most concerning stat was his 5.333 innings per start average. We know pitch efficiency and command in general have been real issues for him.

Arrieta had the walks issue (and continues to). You could argue that 11 starts in 2010 weren't necessarily enough to conclude his improvements were for real (he also had a 5.33 avg innings per start in 2009 that shot up to nearly 6.5 in 2010 and as we see struggled with the BBs).

Matusz was a different animal than these two guys IMO. Control pitcher coming out of college that was already far along, notably with a great change up.

Somehow he has lost that control as well as the change up. I think he was ready and not rushed when they brought him up of AA and showed great signs all the way thru 2010.

Injury and perhaps a lack of effort seems to have derailed his career.