Orioles first round draft pick Dylan Bundy told Jeff Zrebiec of The Sun that he expects to be up in the big leagues by 2013.  For an 18 year old high school pitching prospect, those are lofty expectations to be setting before even setting foot on a big league ball field.

Of course, Bundy already finds himself on the Orioles 40 man roster as he signed a Major League contract before the Monday night deadline.

What is your timetable for the big leagues?: “Definitely, the plan for me is to get up there in 2013. That’s a very high goal. We’ll see what happens.”

Why major league deal was important: “Me and my adviser and my dad, we all thought that we were worth it. We truly believe that I’m going to be up there in 2013 and help the Orioles win some games. We thought that was necessary.”

Assuming he adjusts to a higher level of hitters, the biggest obstacle Bundy faces is stretching himself to the 130-150 innings he will be expected to pitch as a big leaguer. That total is likely more than twice the amount he has ever thrown in a single season.  I hope he’s right though, the Orioles could use a talented, confident starting pitcher and hey, Jim Palmer was up when he was 19.