Despite a tough season, the 2020 Angels had their bright spots

2020 Angels Bright Spots: Dylan Bundy

Alright, you can admit it. When the Angels announced the deal to acquire Dylan Bundy from the Baltimore Orioles, you were all part of the collective sigh coming out of Anaheim. After a winter of dreaming about Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, or Zack Wheeler, the Angels struck-out on all three and ultimately went fishing for reclamation projects.

Enter stage left, Dylan Bundy.

Once a top prospect in Baltimore, Bundy never quite lived up to expectations with the Orioles. Early arm troubles coupled with a penchant for giving up the long-ball to make Bundy one of the biggest letdowns of his generation. In 127 appearances (103 starts) before coming to Anaheim, Bundy owned a lifetime ERA of 4.67, a 4.75 FIP, an 8.8 K/9, and had surrendered home runs at a clip of 1.7 HR/9.

However, a change of scenery can do wonders for a pitcher, and Bundy proved the rule. Taking advantage of getting out of the AL East, the right-hander authored an incredible season for the Angels. In 11 starts, he went 6-3 and set career-bests with a 3.29 ERA, a 2.95 FIP, a 9.9 K/9, and even managed to limit home runs to 0.7 HR/9.

With the big turnaround, the Angels could have easily moved him at the trade deadline. Instead, they opted to hold onto Bundy and build around him for 2021. While ultimately the team would like to acquire an ace to place in front of the right-hander in the rotation, they feel a little more comfortable knowing that their investment proved fruitful.