Lorenzo Bundy played with the Shenandoah Indians back when the Indians were playing in the Rockingham County League. Lorenzo also played college ball at James Madison University 1979-1981 and in the Valley League for New Market. He was one of three former members from the Shenandoah Indians Baseball Team that were inducted into the Valley Baseball League Hall of Fame on Sunday July 7, 2019 along with Larry Dofflemyer and Jim Kite.
See our article on the Indians being inducted into the Valley Baseball League Hall of Fame
http://shenandoahnewz.com/sports/shenandoah-indians-baseball/295-former-indians-inducted-into-vbl-hall-of-fame
We found the below article in the Daily News-Record on Wednesday May 5, 2021 and was written by David Driver Daily News-Record. Photograph of Lorenzo from James Madison Website.
Bundy Finally Made His Way to Binghamton
As a minor leaguer, Lorenzo Bundy played for teams in North Carolina, Virginia, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Canada.
Bundy, as a manager in the minors, guided teams in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Iowa, and Nevada — plus 26 years in the Mexican winter leagues. For good measure, the former James Madison slugger was part of coaching staffs in the Major Leagues with Colorado, Arizona, Los Angeles and Miami.
But until last weekend, his career had never taken him to a certain town in upstate New York: Binghamton, with about 50,000 people and once known as the Valley of Opportunity for its defense contracts during the Cold War. The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is about 80 miles northeast of Binghamton.
“Ironically, in my 40 years of professional baseball, between playing, managing and all that stuff, I’ve never been to Binghamton,” said Bundy, a former MVP in the Valley Baseball League with New Market and in the Rockingham County Baseball League with Shenandoah.
Bundy, after being let go by the Marlins after the 2017 season, was set to be the manager of Double-A Binghamton in the New York Mets’ system for the 2020 season.
He was in Florida in spring training with Mets’ prospects when pro baseball shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
Bundy eventually made his way home to Arizona, where he has lived for many years with his wife and their daughter. And while in Arizona, he waited ... and waited. He managed again in the Mexican League last winter, then headed to Port St. Lucie to get ready for this season.
Bundy flew from Florida to Binghamton last week, then met with local and national media members via Zoom on Monday. “Last year, unfortunately, we were not able to get here,” he said. “Now we are here and it’s time to play baseball. As bad as it was for me, who has been in this game a long time, I felt for my players, I felt for the players who didn’t get a chance to play. It was put on hold last year. This is the most important thing: these guys are back on the baseball field and they are going to get a chance to continue with their development and hopefully on their way to the Major Leagues.” “Obviously, it’s a special time,” added Bundy. “It only took me 16 or 17 months to get here.” And now he will have to deal with the most challenging of minor league seasons — off the field — due to the pandemic and strict guidelines.
“We are still in what you would call a pod situation.
Major League Baseball has put a lot of restrictions on us for what we can and can’t do,” Bundy said. “You can’t be at the ballpark five hours before game time — things like that. And after the game, it is a little bit after an hour that you have to be out of the clubhouse. Things like that. If you go to a restaurant, it has to be either takeout or it has to have an outside venue. So there are a lot of things going on the typical baseball fan doesn’t know about.”
“It is going to be really tough saying no to fans,” he added. “We can’t sign autographs. We can’t interact with the fans, and that is tough because for so many years that has been a big part of minor league baseball — interacting with your community, visiting schools, visiting hospitals, doing things that make minor league baseball special to the community. And we are not going to be allowed to do that. It is an adjustment, no doubt about it. The game that we play is very hard. We are asking our young men, and our training staff ... we have to make some sacrifices here. The sacrifices are made because we get to play 120 games.”
The minor leagues will have Monday as an off day and play a series Tuesday through Sunday, whether at home or on the road.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Matt Blood, director of player development for the Orioles, said Tuesday of the minors getting started.
Binghamton opened the season Tuesday in Akron, Ohio, against a Cleveland farm team.
“You can unpack your bag and you know you won’t be moving in two or three days,” Bundy said. “I think that is great. Maybe after four or five days you don’t want to see that team anymore.
Things might get testy. I think we will make that adjustment.”
Among some of his top prospects with Binghamton is Mark Vientos, a second- round pick by the Mets in 2017 out of Florida, and fellow infielder Carlos Cortes. “We are looking for big things from Mark,” Bundy said.
“We are all excited for the season coming up,” Vientos said. “I feel prepared to go about this season and play for my team.” And his manager.
The next stop in the Mets’ chain is Triple-A Syracuse before, players hope, the bright lights of Citi Field in the Flushing section of Queens in New York City.
Bundy, who wants to help get his players there, is not the only JMU connection to the Mets.
Right-handed pitcher Dan Goggin, drafted by New York in 2019 out of JMU, will begin this season at Single-A St. Lucie in Florida. Other JMU players to be drafted by the Mets: pitcher and Springfield native Jeff Hafer in 1996 and first baseman/outfielder Greg White in 1997.
Staunton’s Derrick Cook was also drafted in 1996, by Texas, out of JMU. Bundy never made it to the majors as a player, but he is among several former New Market Valley League products to get there in some fashion. That includes Brett Gardner, the veteran outfielder for the Yankees, and the retired John Kruk, the West Virginia native and Keyser High product who found success in the broadcasting booth after playing in the World Series for the Phillies.
Bundy, however, found a different path to stay in the game despite having not played in the majors: he helps the next generation of prospects.
“Player development has advanced so much now with the technology,” Bundy said. “We have so many things now that are available to the players that were not available five, six years ago.
Double-A has always been a league where you see guys make the jump to the Major Leagues. I don’t think that is going to change right now. They are really close; when you get to this level you really have a chance of playing in the big leagues. Let them know they are on the radar and just keep grinding.”
Bundy was drafted by the Orioles out of high school in Tappahannock in 1977. He turned down a pro shot then to play at JMU for Coach Brad Babcock, and was the all-time homer leader in school history when he left JMU. He played in the minors for Texas, Pittsburgh and Montreal, hitting a career- best 25 homers for Alexandria in the Carolina League in 1983 while with the Pirates. His chance to manage in the big leagues has probably passed him by, though with drama around the New York Mets on a regular basis one never knows. But for now, Bundy is happy to help young players reach The Show.
“We want to get these players accustomed to this technology and how it can help them speed up their time to get to Citi Field or a Major League club,” he said. That’s not a bad life’s work — but one that will be a challenge in 2021.
