Climbing the hill: Branden Kline's three-year journey back to the pitcher's mound

The former Virginia pitcher doesn’t seem upset about it, though. So what if he has to wait another day? He’s already spent three full years waiting to get back on a professional mound. Waited three years, through many surgery recoveries, to get back to the team he played on in 2014. Back on the team that, at one point, seemed like a pit stop on a fast track to the majors.

Now, it’s the team where he’s known as “dad” and the place he’s trying to prove himself again.

“It’s just fun to be out here, and not be in a training room,” Kline said. That’s probably the biggest joy I have, is not having to worry about a specific number of throws from a certain distance, or you have a certain number of pitches in the bullpen session. Now it’s like, ‘Hey, go out there and compete.’

“Obviously being able to play at nighttime in different stadiums is a lot more fun than being down in Sarasota, Florida, where you’re playing at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. It’s pretty much all the traveling you really do.”

Kline pitched at Virginia from 2010-2012. He started out as a dominant closer, and then became the ace starting pitcher in his final year. Kline was always considered a baseball prospect — he passed on the Red Sox, who drafted him in the sixth round out of high school. Following his junior year at Virginia, he signed with his hometown Orioles, who took him with the 65th overall pick.

From there, he suffered a broken right leg in 2013. Then, after coming back with a strong 2014 that saw him make 26 starts and get promoted to Double-A, he was sidelined in May of 2015 and needed Tommy John surgery. The recovery from that surgery eventually led to multiple additional surgeries during his rehab. It wasn’t until this season, nearly three full years later, that he came back.

Now he’s a reliever, back in Frederick — which moonlights as his hometown. He’s got an 0.82 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 11 innings. He’s dominating, and trying to show that he’s still worth Baltimore’s investment in him.

“Branden’s got a great heart, and he’s a terrific person,” said Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor. “When you see guys get injured like that, you feel for them, because you know that they have the ability potentially to play this game for a long time. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s back and pitching. He’s a tough kid that is willing to endure a lot.”

When Kline pitched at Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick, Maryland, his starts were often a “spectacle,” in the words of his high school coach, Jim Foit. Scouts would litter the stands when it was Kline’s turn to toe the rubber.

He was rated the No. 1 prospect in Maryland by Perfect Game. He had an 0.51 ERA in his senior season. The trajectory on his career was clear cut. He would have a stellar high school career. He would go to college, and get drafted from there. What he’s found is a three-year hiccup that he continues to get asked about, but tries not to let bother him.

“They would be calling, wanting a heads up, when is he going to pitch next,” Foit said. “… When he was warming up in the bullpen, it was sort of interesting how many guns and eyes were just on him warming up.”

Fast forward six years and the eyeballs on Kline were far more minimal. His days included an early wakeup at 7 a.m. and a trip to the rehab facility in Sarasota. Maybe he’d throw some pitches in the bullpen. Maybe he’d just lift some weights. It was up to the trainers, and he just followed their direction.

Most days were done in the early afternoon. He’d come back and read — passing the time and convincing himself that each day he was doing something that was going to get him back on the mound. In reality, he was often speaking with his wife about what he might do after baseball. To this day, he has no idea. He’ll get his degree from UVa this upcoming fall.

“It’s kind of the same mentality where you show up every single day and you kind of like punch in the clock,” Kline said, “and you’re like, ‘Hey, I’m here to get my work in, get better in some capacity, and get closer to playing on the field.’”

It got tough during his Tommy John surgery rehabilitation, when he had to have two additional surgeries. He thought he had just a small triceps issue, but his body was actually creating too much body tissue that was getting lodged in the joint. It was creating sharp pain in his elbow. It had to be taken out.

Kline knows that everyone in the Major Leagues has a different story. He’s fortunate enough to continue pursuing his route, in part, because the Orioles invested a $793,000 signing bonus in him. They want to see him succeed as much as he does.

“Some guys are able to fly through the system,” Kline said. “Some guys take 6, 7, 8 years to get there. Everybody has a different story. But just having the chance to get there, to persevere through everything that you’ve already gone through, not only does it help your character, but it’s going to help you when you’re out there on the mound and you’re pitching against the New York Yankees.”

That night, though, it was the Red Sox. The Salem Red Sox, with their faux Green Monster outfield wall stretching along the outfield line. It was $1 beer night. The crowd was thin. Kline talked about the Major Leagues, but Salem isn’t close to it.

Kline noted that the closer in Wednesday night’s game for Salem, Jordan Weems was actually a catcher on the team when Kline traveled here in 2014. He pointed out that former UVa standout Reed Gragnani also was on that 2014 Salem team, and since became their first base coach.

So he’s OK being called “dad” by the other players — a 26-year-old on young man’s team. He’s OK if it rains. He’s fine if he doesn’t pitch for a day or two. He doesn’t care if he’s a starter or a reliever.

Because, in his words, every Major Leaguer has their story. He believes that this is part of his.

“As long as I’m out here and I’m pitching,” Kline said, “I’m happy.”