Dylan Bundy!

I dove into the world of filming games last weekend – hence the reason for no college notes this Monday – first going to the Pitt/Louisville game on Friday, then making the nearly 3 hour drive to Hagerstown to see Dylan Bundy (thanks to both Matt Jackson at Pitt & Matt Leite at Hagerstown for granting me access). I have not yet mastered the art of scouting and filming at the same time, so I do not feel comfortable giving a full write up. Instead, I'll present you with the video and some bullet point takeaways (I'll be doing the same for the Pitt/Louisville video and the rest of the Hagerstown/Delmarva video sometime soon).

• I'm not sure if it came through via the footage, but Bundy was throwing hard during that long toss session. You can see how easy the ball comes out of his hand and how little effort is involved in his motion
• The visitor's bullpen is located in center field and accessible only through the center field fence. Thus, I unfortunately could not watch his bullpen session.
• My initial seat was not very conducive to getting good video (bear with me, I moved to better locations afterwards); the angle worked well enough against the first batter of the game (Brian Goodwin), but with a right handed hitter at the plate, the view is very obstructed. I included that first such at-bat for one reason, the curve ball that finishes off Cutter Dykstra at the 4:28 mark. It was nasty with 11-5 tilt, tight spin, depth, and power break. Bundy did not throw more than a couple of them during the game – that was the only one I got on video other than one or two he threw warming up before an inning – yet I still came away more than satisfied with the pitch.
• His easy repeatable motion generates velocity without much of any effort. Delivered from a high 3/4 arm slot, he still gets good late life on the pitch. Parker Bridwell was sitting behind home plate with a radar gun, allowing me to get a few readings:
  • 2nd Inning: 94, 95, 96, 96
  • 4th Inning: 97, 97, 98
  • 5th Inning: 95, 95, 96, 95, 97
• The second "WOW!" pitch of the night came in the fifth inning against Cole Leonida. With an 0-1 count, Bundy threw a fastball with really nice cut action (7:22 mark); I hesitate to call it a cutter because it was apparently 96 MPH!
• Since he was pitching almost exclusively off of his fastball, Bundy didn't quite dominate like the box score would suggest (not that he wasn't very good). Hagerstown had a number of well struck fly balls, one of which nearly cleared the right field fence before ultimately finding the glove of the leaping Brenden Webb.
• I do remember seeing at least one change up at 88 MPH; I believe it is the pitch that  JP Ramirez hits at the 5:33 mark. I think that was actually the pitch that got nearly went for a homerun.
• His command was solid, showing the ability to pitch to both sides of the plate with the fastball. As you saw with that curve ball in the first inning, he can locate that thing too!
• Bundy worked quickly on the mound and efficiently through the order. Baseball is at its best when played at a quick pace.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I hope to catch him again later in the year once he's promoted to Frederick.

One Comment on "Dylan Bundy!"