Showalter on Bundy, Wilson and his Letterman appearances

Earlier today, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the Orioles didn't need top prospect Dylan Bundy to pitch at Triple-A Norfolk before becoming a candidate to be called up later in the summer. Bundy could make the jump from Double-A Bowie to the majors.

Part of the reasoning involves Bundy's contract status for 2016, when he's out of options.

"We talked about that," Showalter said. "No, not mandatory. Obviously, and we all know this, contractually he has to be on our major league club next year, so we've taken a number of people from Double-A.

"First of all, he's got to do well enough there. No, he doesn't have to pitch at Triple-A for us to feel good about him. It's a process for him, little by little. I think June, middle of June, we'll get an idea of what we've got."

Bundy is 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts with the Baysox, with five walks and 20 strikeouts in 18 innings. He hasn't worked more than three innings in a start and won't be pushed past five.

"I know he's going to get up to five I think at some point," Showalter said. "They've got a target going by a lot of homework and history with Tommy John and the whole nine yards. I hope that we're talking about whether we want to call him up in September."

There are no current plans to give Bundy a reliever's schedule in preparation for a bullpen role with the Orioles.

"Not at this point. I don't think that's important at this point," Showalter said. "I wouldn't want to get the cart in front of the horse at this point. Let's get through this next outing, see where we are. It's a process."

Showalter isn't worried about putting a label on Bundy if he returns to the majors later this summer.

"I'm hoping in September we bring people up here that can try and get us in the playoffs," he said.

Showalter said he'd like to get right-hander Tyler Wilson into a game while he's with the club. Wilson and Darren O'Day warmed up last night, and Showalter chose the veteran to finish up a 9-4 win.

"There's some unknown there about what's going to happen," Showalter said. "Darren was doing some postgame exercises in the weight room and I asked him, 'How was it with Tyler, how'd he do warming up?' He said, 'He was definitely going a different speed than I was.'

"It's new for him, but he handled it real well in the spring. I've been real impressed with the moxy. They seem to be in control of themselves. You get guys like Tyler and Mike Wright who have made every stop like you're supposed to do it. They haven't skipped some level. They just kept doing well enough in the league to get promoted. There's not another league to promote them to other than this one. I like the background on how they got here."

Tonight marks the final airing of "Late Show with David Letterman," the host settling into retirement after a lengthy run on NBC and CBS. Showalter participated in a few of Letterman's bits while managing the Yankees.

"I remember the first time they called, we were in Fort Lauderdale in spring training and they wanted to know if I would call in to the Letterman show. I'm going, 'Wow. Call in?' So I did after the workout," Showalter recalled.

"The first question was, 'Buck, when you're on the back fields and you're doing drills and stuff, what are you really working on, what are you doing?' I went, 'We're kind of working on fundamentals.' And, I heard the audience laugh and I heard 'ding, ding, ding.' So I'm putting two and two together that he's trying to see how many baseball cliches he can get me to say in like two minutes. I found out later there was like this big board (with words).

"The next question he asked me was, 'Buck, do you start thinking about all of spring training or three games in advance or how do you take each game?' And I knew it. So I said, 'David, I guess you want me to say I take them one game at a time.' And I heard 'ding, ding, ding' again and he cut off the interview right there."

As Showalter found out later, you don't upstage Letterman or surprise him with anything. Former pitcher Tommy John learned that lesson from one of the show's producers after he revealed plans to come out wearing a gray beard and walking with a cane to mock his age.

One of my favorite Letterman bits from his old show included Showalter and former slugger and Yankees coach Frank Howard. It first aired in 1992.

"Something about spitting, if I remember right," Showalter said. "I remember he didn't look real good in a uni. Left-handed hitter, that surprised me. Frank was great.

"My daughter said something about it being on YouTube. I'd like to see it. I look the same?"

You be the judge.

"This is his last show tonight?" Showalter asked. "I wonder who he's having on as guests? I know who it won't be."