as a left-handed starter, bédard was drafted by the baltimore orioles in the sixth round of the 1999 major league baseball draft. he made his professional debut with the gulf coast orioles, where he allowed only one earned run in 20.1 innings for an 0.44 era, 4th best among all minor league pitchers that year. he spent the 2000 season with the delmarva shorebirds of the south atlantic league, where he was 9–4 with a 3.57 era in 29 games (22 starts). in 2001 with the frederick keys of the carolina league, he led all orioles farmhands with a 2.15 era and compiled a 9–2 record in 17 starts.