Baltimore right-hander Dylan Bundy, who's generally regarded as the top pitching prospect in all of baseball, has been optioned to Double-A Bowie.
The 20-year-old right-hander has pitched to a 1.13 ERA in four spring appearances. But, as Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun notes, Bundy's velocity has been down a bit during camp.
The fourth-overall pick of the 2011 draft notched a 2.04 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 4.25 K/BB across three different levels last season. Best of all, he thrived despite being younger than his peer group at every stop. Bundy also made two relief appearances for the Orioles after the rosters expanded in September. There, he allowed one hit and no runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Bundy certainly profiles as a future ace. And barring the unexpected, he'll reach Baltimore for good at some point in 2013. However, the O's likely want him to get more seasoning, and they'd probably also like to avoid starting his service-time clock just yet.
Here's just a taste of what's to come ...
And that's not even his best pitch.
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