Could Harvey's innings ramp up to the Bundy plan?

They are both Orioles first-round draft picks that are right-handed pitchers and were selected out of high school. They have both been ranked as top 100 prospects. They have both had Tommy John surgery.

The similarities between Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey don't end there. Bundy has thrown 167 minor league innings and Harvey has pitched 144.

Bundy is 10-9 with an ERA of 2.59, WHIP of 1.05 and .211 batting average against. Harvey is 7-8 with an ERA of 2.56, WHIP of 1.12 and .210 batting average against.

Bundy averaged 2.6 walks and 9.8 strikeouts on the farm. Harvey has averaged 3.2 walks with 11.7 strikeouts.

This is not a complete apples-to-apples comparison, as Bundy advanced to the Double-A level in the minors and Harvey has yet to throw a single pitch past Single-A Delmarva's level.

But even beyond these numbers and looking to the future, how Bundy ramped up his innings load after coming off injuries could provide a guideline for how Harvey will be handled the next two years.

After pitching a combined 63 1/3 innings in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Bundy pitched in the majors starting in 2016 and threw 109 2/3 innings. He pitched 169 2/3 innings for the Orioles last season.

After throwing a combined 31 1/3 innings the last two years, Harvey could be on a plan with a similar ramp up. The club has not indicated how many innings they have planned for Harvey this coming season and likely will not publicly put out a number on it. But if it does play out in a similar fashion to Bundy, Harvey could throw 100-120 innings this season and then ramp up to 170 or more in 2019.

Added to the 40-man roster on Monday as expected, Harvey showed some of his pre-surgery form in 18 2/3 innings this past season at three stops. With the rookie level Gulf Coast League Orioles, short-season Single-A Aberdeen and Delmarva, he walked just six and fanned 30. His velocity came back and he was touching 97 mph at the end of the summer.

How fast can Harvey get to the majors is another question that we may see play out next season.

If he is capped at 110 or 120 innings in 2018, I could forsee Harvey pitching on the farm to begin next season and making starts of three to four innings through May or June. That would hold him to around 50 innings through mid year with a possible start at Single-A Frederick followed by a move to Double-A Bowie.

At that point, Harvey could have 70 or so innings for the second half of the season. He could potentially throw some or all of those innings in the majors. When Bundy went from 22 innings in 2015 to 109 2/3 the following year, he pitched 71 2/3 of those innings in the O's rotation after the All-Star break.

Might Harvey follow a very similar plan for the 2018 Orioles?