Branden Kline

As a high schooler in Maryland, Kline came on strong late in 2009. He told teams he had no interest in signing, but the Red Sox tried anyway, drafting him in the sixth round. Kline stuck to his word and went to Virginia, where he pitched mostly in relief as a freshman and as the closer in 2011. He moved to the rotation as a junior and has seen mixed results. He was 6-3, 3.52 in 72 innings with 76 strikeouts and 31 walks, but had a stretch of starts when he allowed just 19 hits and eight walks in 34 innings while striking out 40. Kline has a good, lean pitcher's frame at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, with long limbs and projection remaining. Most of Virginia's pitchers adopt similar deliveries in which they start in a squat position and stay low throughout, and this style has prevented Kline from consistently staying on top of his pitches and commanding them. When Kline is on, his fastball can sit in the low 90s. His secondary stuff has been inconsistent and tends to blend together, but his slider can be a power pitch in the low 80s. Teams could try to iron his delivery out so he can reach his ceiling as a mid-rotation starter, but he could pitch with power stuff as a reliever as well.