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Thoughts on Orioles prospect Dylan Bundy

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Dylan Bundy
Dylan Bundy
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

From the analytical perspective, Baltimore Orioles rookie Dylan Bundy was a conundrum heading into spring training. Here is the report on him in the 2016 Baseball Prospect Book:

A healthy Dylan Bundy. . .well, let’s stop right there. Shoulder and forearm issues hampered Bundy in 2015, limiting him to just 22 innings during the regular season then two more in the Arizona Fall League. He still shows a plus curveball and a solid change-up and he began using his slider again last year with good results. The secondary stuff is intact but his fastball is erratic, up to 95-96 early last year but down around 90-92 in his later outings. The general shape of Bundy’s talent remains: he throws four pitches for strikes and has strong mound presence, but it is very much an open question what kind of workload he can handle. He’s out of options so the Orioles have no choice but to keep him on the big league roster, most likely in a bullpen role. His standing as a prospect depends entirely on his health and I don’t know how to predict that with any accuracy. He still has Grade A pitching talent but a C- health record. We’ll split the difference and go with a Grade B.

He's thrown seven innings in spring training, allowing three earned runs with six hits, one walk, and four strikeouts, including a scoreless inning against the Yankees on Friday night. Reports indicate he's been throwing in the mid-90s and the views I've caught of him on television have looked quite good, much more like the pre-injury Bundy than the more meh-arm of late last year.

Barring another physical setback, it is a no-brainer that Bundy will be on the roster heading into April, but in what role?

So let's discuss it. If you were the Orioles, how would you handle Bundy? Long relief? Short relief? Fifth starter once May rolls around? If you have seen Bundy pitch this spring, in person or on TV, what are your impressions? What grade would you give him now? B? Or is that too conservative? B+? Even A-?