Nine years later, after a winding and circuitous route, that projection finally came to fruition.
Bundy emerged as one of the American League’s top pitchers in a breakout 2020 season with the Angels. Through nine starts, the 27-year-old right-hander had a 2.48 ERA, third lowest in the AL. He ranked second in the AL in innings (58), fourth in WHIP (0.95) and fifth in strikeouts (67) and opponent average (.190).
“Even from the side, when you’re standing at the field level, it’s the real deal,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said after an early-season start against the Mariners. “The pitches are real sharp, the swings are not good and the takes are bad. You see that kind of performance and his total package—the competitive nature, the way he’s processing everything he’s doing right now—I don’t know the last time he pitched this well.”
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OLD MEETS NEW
Brian Snitker expertly navigated the Braves to a third straight division title despite myriad pitching injuries
Focusing on the Northeast pays off for the Indians
Over the past few years, the Indians have mined the Northeast for talent. The 2020 team got big-time contributions from former college righthanders Aaron Civale (Northeastern) and James Karinchak (Bryant). Waiting in the wings are three more prospects from the region, all from high school: third baseman Nolan Jones (Bensalem, Pa.), catcher Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) and righthander Lenny Torres (Beacon, N.Y). All five of those players were signed by area scout Mike Kanen, a former Baseball America intern. BA recently spoke with Kanen about his first impressions of those players. The interview is edited for brevity.
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