Orioles focus heavily on pitching for Day 2 of amateur draft

A day after selecting right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman with the fourth overall pick of the 2012 amateur draft, the Orioles were busy adding more pitching to their farm system in rounds 2 through 15.

Of the 14 players selected on Tuesday, scouting director Gary Rajsich drafted nine pitchers, including second-round choice Branden Kline, a right-hander from the University of Virginia and a Frederick native. Kline throws a fastball in the low 90s and possesses a hard curveball, and scouts envision him as either a closer or at least a successful arm in the back-end of the bullpen.

Two South Carolina teammates were chosen in the first seven rounds as fourth-round first baseman Christian Walker and seventh-round pitcher Matthew Price play for the vaunted Gamecocks program.

The draft will conclude on Wednesday with rounds 16 through 40.

To this point, the Orioles have selected four left-handed pitchers and six right-handed pitchers, one catcher, one first baseman, two shortstops, and one outfielder.

ORIOLES 2012 DRAFT SELECTIONS

 ROUND    PLAYER                 POS    SCHOOL                   HOMETOWN          D.O.B          HT     WT    B    T
1 (4)            Gausman, Kevin          RHP      Louisiana State Univ.     Centennial, CO            01/06/91      6’4      195     L      R

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2 (65)         Kline, Branden            RHP      Univ. of Virginia               Frederick, MD              09/29/91      6’3      185     R     R

3 (99)         Marin, Adrian              SS         Gulliver Prep School       Miami, FL                     03/08/94      5’10    165     R     R

4 (132)       Walker, Christian        1B         Univ. of South Carolina  Limerick, PA                 03/28/91      6’0      220     R     R

5 (162)       Poche, Colin                 LHP       Marcus HS                       Flower Mound, TX       01/17/94      6’3      185     L      L

6 (192)       Rutledge, Lex               LHP       Samford Univ.                  Tupelo, MS                   06/28/91      6’2      205     L      L

7 (222)       Price, Matthew            RHP      Univ. of South Carolina  Sumter, SC                   09/08/89      6’2      215     R     R

8 (252)       Boss, Torsten                OF         Michigan State Univ.      Lowell, MI                     12/27/90      6’0      195     L      R

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9 (282)       Wager, Brady               RHP      Grand Canyon Univ.        Miami, AZ                     11/17/90      6’1      205     R     R

10 (312)     Hutter, Joel                   SS         Dallas Baptist Univ.        Davenport, IA               02/28/90      6’2      205     R     R

11 (342)     Grendell, Kevin            LHP       San Pasqual HS              Escondido, CA              8/22/93        6’3      185     L      L

12 (372)     Waltrip, William          LHP       Seminole JC                     Braggs, OK                   7/1/92           6’1      215     L      L

13 (402)     Wass, Wade                C            Meridian JC                      Pensacola, FL              9/23/91        6’0      205     R     R

14 (432)     McAdams, Sean          RHP      Cardinal Mooney HS       Sarasota, FL                11/17/93      6’6      215     R     R

15 (462)     Velasquez, Derick       RHP      Merced JC                        Los Banos, CA              11/28/93      6’3      180     R     R