2nd Round - Brandon Kline: RHP, UVA

[Tony-OH]

MLB Bio: The Red Sox knew Kline would be a tough sign, as many Virginia commits are. Now, three years later, Boston and the other 29 teams will have the chance to draft one of the better college closers in the country.With a projectable Brandon Morrow-like frame, Kline has a very live arm with clean action that delivers fastballs regularly in the low-90s, and there might be more velocity in the future. He throws a hard curve and is willing to throw it at all times. He commands both pitches well and has the mentality that works in the back end of a bullpen.While Kline closes in college, he may not fit that role ideally at the next level, though increased velocity might help in that regard. Even if he doesn't rack up saves, he could reach the big leagues quickly as a setup man.

UVA Profile

Baseball Prospect Nation: Though things aren’t as “free and easy” as they have been in the past, Kline is still shows a low-90s fastball with good life and angle to the plate. His slider shows potential and he needs a consistent third pitch to remain a starter in pro ball.

[eb45]

Delete my thread if you want. Frederick native, stuff should play up in the bullpen. Duquette liked drafting local guys in Boston, this looks like a continuation of that trend.

[Frobby]

Yeah, DD wasn't kidding when he said he liked drafting local guys. Seems like a solid pick though maybe the upside isn't too great.

[weams]

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=20000713&topic_id=29113154&c_id=mlb

[oriolekid]

Yeah, DD wasn't kidding when he said he liked drafting local guys. Seems like a solid pick though maybe the upside isn't too great.

Best closer in this draft. I love this pick. Build the Bullpen.

[Tony-OH]

Yeah, DD wasn't kidding when he said he liked drafting local guys. Seems like a solid pick though maybe the upside isn't too great.

Don't know anything about him, but a right-hander with low-90s velocity who profiles as a setup guy (according to his MLB profile) seems like a strange second round pick. Hopefully we'll hear more about his upside as people find info on him.

[lovetoaster]

I like Kline a lot. I did not think he would go quite this high, but I think he can move quickly and end up being a good arm at the back of the pen. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a UVA fan.

[RyanW]

Not bad. I really wish we would have went with a true power bat, but not dissatisfied with this pick at all. He reminds me of Dan Klein (pretty much the same last name) in that he'll be a quick riser, although I don't know if there's any injury history here.

[Frobby]

BA had him ranked #87. Obviously the Orioles liked him more than that.

[Araqnid]

Really good pick, IMO.

Does anyone know if he's a candidate for the BP this year?

[Rick_Schu]

Keep stocking up on those college arms! We'll never be able to sign top FA pitchers to pitch in Camden Yards, gotta keep drafting them. Love that he's from Fredneck!

[weams]

The Red Sox knew Kline would be a tough sign, as many Virginia commits are. Now, three years later, Boston and the other 29 teams will have the chance to draft one of the better college closers in the country.With a projectable Brandon Morrow-like frame, Kline has a very live arm with clean action that delivers fastballs regularly in the low-90s, and there might be more velocity in the future. He throws a hard curve and is willing to throw it at all times. He commands both pitches well and has the mentality that works in the back end of a bullpen.While Kline closes in college, he may not fit that role ideally at the next level, though increased velocity might help in that regard. Even if he doesn't rack up saves, he could reach the big leagues quickly as a setup man.

MLB Blurb

[weams]

Doubt they drafted him to be a bullpen guy although that's always a fallback option.

Brandon Morrow comp.

[Pickles]

Don't know anything about him, but a right-hander with low-90s velocity who profiles as a setup guy (according to his MLB profile) seems like a strange second round pick. Hopefully we'll hear more about his upside as people find info on him.

This is my thoughts on it initially as well. Any reliever w low-90s velo seems a bit low on the upside to me to be drafting here. Hope to hear more about him.

[lovetoaster]

Don't know anything about him, but a right-hander with low-90s velocity who profiles as a setup guy (according to his MLB profile) seems like a strange second round pick. Hopefully we'll hear more about his upside as people find info on him.

It is going to be interesting to see what we do with him. He had a solid year as a starter this year, going 7-3 with a 3.56 ERA and 94 Ks in 93.2 innings. I think he could be in a ML bullpen now, but maybe with a little work on his secondary stuff, he could be an effective starter in time. I guess we'll see.