Former Aggie Kyle Bradish battles back from Tommy John surgery: 'Rehab is going good'

SARASOTA, Florida — Kyle Bradish struck out nearly two batters per inning as a senior at Millenium High School in Goodyear, Arizona.

But those numbers 10 years ago did not translate into many big-time college opportunities for Bradish, who ended up going to New Mexico State.

“They were the only ones that gave me a shot coming out of high school,” said Bradish, 28, sitting by his locker at the Baltimore Orioles’ spring training complex on a recent Saturday morning.

Bradish played at New Mexico State for head coach Brian Green and the pitching coach his junior season was Anthony Claggett. Both have the same roles now at Wichita State in Kansas.

As a freshman and sophomore, Bradish had Joel Mangrum as a pitching coach; Mangrum went on to spend six seasons in the Cleveland Guardians’ organization before he was hired by the Ole Miss baseball staff prior to this season.

“Just the overall experience with coach Green and Joel was a big factor in my development,” Bradish said. “Joel was the one that recruited me.”

Bradish, who won 25 games in three seasons of college, was drafted out of New Mexico State in the fourth round by the Angels in 2018.

The right-hander pitched in the minors at high Single-A in the California League the following year, then was traded after the 2019 season to the Orioles as the Angels acquired right-handed starter Dylan Bundy.

Bradish worked his way up the Baltimore farm system and made his major league debut with the Orioles with 23 starts in 2022, with an ERA of 5.20.

The next year he made 30 starts for the Birds and was 12-7 with an ERA of 2.83.

Return from injury

Bradish made eight starts for Baltimore last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in June — that after pitching through pain earlier in the season.

Now, he is in the process of working his way back to the majors.

“He is right on track,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde told reporters in February. The former Aggies’ star should return “at some point in the second half. Whenever somebody is coming off Tommy John or a major injury or surgery, I’m optimistic and hoping for the best. I believe in Kyle’s makeup. He’s a bulldog.”

“I feel good, rehab is going good,” Bradish said. “Checking all of the boxes.”

Bradish said he hopes to throw off the mound in a few weeks.

“I think (returning in) the second half at some point is realistic,” Bradish said. “As I said a few weeks ago, I don’t want to look too far ahead.”

Major league pitchers who make rehab starts in the minors in the Baltimore system don’t have to go far from Camden Yards.

The Orioles’ low Single-A affiliate is in Salisbury, Maryland, the high Single-A farm team is in Aberdeen, Maryland and the Double-A club is in Bowie, Maryland, about 21 miles southeast of downtown Baltimore.

The Norfolk Tides, the top farm club of the Orioles, is in the Tidewater region of southeast Virginia — just a short flight away from the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

Bradish is not the only Baltimore pitcher with New Mexico ties to trying to come back from an injury.

Trevor Rogers, a graduate of Carlsbad High, is also hoping to pitch in the majors later this year after dealing with a right knee injury that took place in the offseason. His locker is just five stalls down from Bradish in the Orioles’ clubhouse, located back of the right field fence at Ed Smith Stadium.

“It is pretty cool,” Rogers, who came to Baltimore in a trade with the Marlins last year, said of that connection. “I didn’t realize he played at New Mexico State. It’s a small world.”

“It is nice,” Bradish said of the New Mexico ties with Rogers.

The pitching coach for the Orioles is Drew French, ready to start his second year in that role after he had been the bullpen coach for the Atlanta Braves.

“Frenchy has been awesome since he got here,” Bradish said. “I don’t have too much experience with him as a pitching coach, but we talk a lot. A lot of the pitchers in the clubhouse really like him. A lot of knowledge from the organization he was with prior. A lot of guys grow” under French.

The returning manager for the Orioles is Hyde, who led the Orioles to a 91-71 mark last year before being knocked out of the playoffs by Detroit.

“He is a great manager. He loves his guys, loves his team,” Bradish said. “He goes out and manages to win every game. Everybody in the organization is top-notch.”

The Orioles minor-league system has been very productive in recent years under new general manager Mike Elias, a former pitcher at Yale.

Some of the position players who have come up through the farm include catcher Adley Rutschman, center fielder Cedric Mullins, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, second baseman Jackson Holliday, shortstop Gunnar Henderson and third baseman Jordan Westburg.

“I think they are doing everything that people expect them to do,” Bradish said of the young players. “It is great to have them on our team. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

As he works his way back to health, Bradish enjoys being on the Gulf Coast in Sarasota.

“We love being here. It is great having a beach 10 minutes away,” he said. “It is a bit of a grind with early mornings and games at 1:05 p.m. But it is nice to do some things outside.”

David Driver covered the Washington Nationals from 2013-22 for several publications. He is the co-author of “From Tidewater to the Shenandoah: Snapshots from Virginia’s Rich Baseball Legacy,” available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at daytondavid.com. He has contributed to Orioles Magazine and is the former sports editor of the Baltimore Examiner.