Three UVA players were selected Tuesday on the second day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
The Baltimore Orioles drafted pitcher Branden Kline in the second round. The Seattle Mariners selected shortstop Chris Taylor in the fifth round. The Chicago Cubs picked slugger Stephen Bruno in the seventh round.
The O's made Kline the 65th overall pick. He's a Maryland native and was the top prospect in the state coming out of high school three years ago. At Virginia, Kline pitched as a reliever his first two years, earning first-team All-American honors as a closer in 2011 with an ACC record 18 saves. In 2012, he started, posting a 7-3 record with a 3.56 ERA, earning second-team All-ACC as a starter. Kline struck out 94 hitters in 93 and 2/3 innings, limiting opposing batters to a .241 average. He went 16-5 with a 3.22 ERA in his three years at UVA. Kline grew up a Red Sox fan in Maryland. His parents are Oriole fans.
Kline said, "I definitely knew they were interested. I didn't know they were interested that much. I'm excited to be picked today. I wouldn't be here without the help of my coaching staff, my family, my friends, and teammates. They helped me become the person I am today. That's why I think I got picked today."
The Red Sox drafted Kline in the sixth round coming out of high school in 2009, but he decided to come to Virginia to play college baseball.
The Mariners took Taylor with the 161st overall pick. Taylor batted leadoff for the Cavaliers for most of this season, hitting .284 with 47 RBI. He led the Cavaliers with 57 runs scored and also had five home runs and 12 stolen bases. Taylor played in all 127 Virginia games the last two seasons. In three seasons, he hit .297 with 172 hits and batted .400 (22-for-55) in the NCAA Tournament in his career. Taylor is the fourth Cavalier player the Mariners have drafted in the last two years. In 2011, Seattle selected Danny Hultzen, John Hicks, and Steven Proscia. Former Wahoo Andrew Carraway is also in the Mariner organization.
Taylor said, "Some of the guys, Danny, Proscia, Hicks, they shot me a text message and said congratulations. That was pretty cool. That makes it even more awesome to know that there are guys in the organization that I already know, and I could possibly be playing with them. That's pretty cool."
The Cubs took Bruno in the seventh round with the 224th overall pick. Bruno had a great redshirt-sophomore season, starting and playing in all but one game for the 'Hoos. He led the team with a .370 batting average, including six home runs. At one point this season, he had a 13-game hit streak. Bruno had 88 hits (third best in the ACC and tied for sixth most in a season in UVA history) and a team-high 54 RBI, seventh best in the conference. Bruno also had a .424 on base percentage, eleven steals, and 23 doubles (matching the single-season UVA doubles record).
The New York Yankees drafted Bruno in the 26th round coming out of high school in 2009, but Bruno came to Virginia to play for the Cavaliers.
The 'Hoos have had 12 players selected in the top ten rounds in the last three years and 20 total players drafted the past three seasons.
The MLB First-Year Player Draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 16-40.
Former UVA star Sean Doolittle has been called up to the big leagues and made his first appearance in an Oakland A's uniform Monday night.
The Athletics drafted Doolittle in the first round (41st pick) coming out of UVA in 2007.
Injuries have derailed his career after reaching Triple-A in 2009, but he's now made it to the Majors as a left-handed relief pitcher.
The two-time All-American and 2006 ACC Player of the Year is the sixth former Cavalier currently in the majors and 30th former UVA player to reach the big leagues.
Doolittle played at Virginia from 2005-07.
