When the Cubs acquired sputtering right-hander Jake Arrieta in a then-forgettable July 2013 trade from the Orioles, I think it is eminently fair to note that few noticed or cared all that much, but soon it was quite apparent that Arrieta was a new pitcher with his new team. Arrieta switched up his pitch mix and mechanics and was simply a happier man, and it showed. Two seasons later, he was the NL Cy Young award winner, posting a 1.77 ERA with 22 wins.
None of this means new Angels right-hander Dylan Bundy is going to achieve such great heights
Bundy scattered four hits over seven shutout innings and fanned 10 Athletics, winning for the third time in four starts. His ERA is 1.57 and his WHIP 0.63, thanks in some part to an unsustainable hit rate, but also the three walks versus 35 whiffs is quite impressive, and that might be sustainable since there are actionable changes here to his stuff and command. Bundy has four quality starts and the No. 12 K rate among qualified starting pitchers. This cannot be all about leaving Baltimore, can it?
It seems so obvious now, but Bundy really needed to adjust his strategy and throw his below average four-seam fastball -- which was straight and bereft of high spin -- much less, because hitters feasted. The Angels realized this. This season, Bundy is relying far more on his excellent slider, inducing wild swings from left-handed hitters on pitches outside the strike zone, and his changeup and curveball are more effective as well. Hitters no longer feast on the fastball. Add in the ballpark change -- Baltimore is hitter haven -- and we have a brand new pitcher here.
Sure, I was originally skeptical that Bundy, the No. 4 pick in the 2011 amateur draft and a ballyhooed prospect for a while, would ever turn into something we needed to roster, but I underestimated how badly he needed a change, not only of his employer, but his strategy. Some stuff will change for the lesser here, like him fanning one in three hitters or the lofty 87.9% left-on-base percentage, and Bundy figures to have a few games in which hitters guess correctly and pop a few average fastballs into the seats. Next up are the Dodgers, then the A's and Astros. It will be a telling stretch for Bundy.
Let us not jump to judgement and reward that AL Cy Young award to Cleveland's Shane Bieber just yet. Bundy, bumped up into the top 30 among starting pitchers in fantasy -- better than Jose Berrios and Zack Wheeler (where are the whiffs?) for some context -- and in the conversation for much more if this continues, is a new pitcher.
Other random thoughts
-- For the record, Reds outfielder Nicholas Castellanos is the only one ahead of Bundy on the Player Rater to have changed franchises last offseason, but I think we can agree this means far more for pitchers than for hitters. Pitchers need far more instruction. What other starting pitcher changed teams and is thriving close to this level? Soft-tossers Zach Davies and Dallas Keuchel? Um, no. -- Most everyone is giving up on Rangers lefty Mike Minor because his ERA is bloated, but he pitched fine on Tuesday and his 2019 peripherals remain. His current FIP is 3.63. Add him now, even in the 10-team formats, while others cut him in droves. This is not Steven Matz.
-- Andrew Benintendi was back in the leadoff spot Tuesday and he rapped a few hits, and things should continue to improve. However, if this is a platoon player -- which it looks like -- with only modest power and speed, then he is still wildly overrated in fantasy. I said it a month ago: Alex Verdugo is better.
-- Luke Voit is a top-10 first baseman for fantasy, and we should value him over Josh Bell, Rhys Hoskins, Yuli Gurriel and Edwin Encarnacion, among just an overrated few at his position.
-- Yeah, Orioles outfielder Austin Hays hit his first home run! Rejoice! Of course, this was a line drive to short center field that the overaggressive center fielder misplayed into a four-base hit. Yes, it all counts, like the ridiculous Christian Yelich inside-the-parker last week because Eloy Jimenez fell into the stands, but context matters, and Hays is far from awesome at the plate. By the way, the Pedro Severino two-run single in the ninth inning Tuesday was a popup to the pitcher's mound. Context. Nice going, Phillies.
-- How many more excellent Kyle Freeland outings do you need in order to be convinced the 2018 version is back? I mean, this season is a quarter of the way through. Are you waiting for September?
-- I would be concerned about the Ronald Acuna Jr. MRI on his wrist scheduled for Wednesday. Wrists are rather important. Do not be surprised if awesome outfield prospect Cristian Pache gets the call and looks like Andruw Jones right away.
-- In the world of closers (and what a world it is!), Houston's Ryan Pressly sure looks more comfortable in a setup role, but his team has nobody else to fill the closer role. Pressly blew another save Tuesday when noted slugger (sarcasm) Darin Ruf tied the game with an RBI single. Josh James is a contender for the alternate camp, not closing. Dusty Baker has a problem. ... What a story it is that Daniel Bard is back in the majors after seven years away and Tuesday's save was his first since 2011, but I think Jairo Diaz remains the Colorado closer. ... Drew Pomeranz now has twice as many saves as Kirby Yates. Do not drop Yates, who is still nursing body soreness of some kind, but the Padres might have a pair of top-10 relief pitchers in fantasy. ... Toronto's Anthony Bass looked really bad Tuesday and top setup man Jordan Romano has permitted nary a base hit in eight full innings of work. OK, so that last part cannot continue, but Romano is worth watching for sure.
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