After signing as an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana-Lafayette in 2020, Brandon Young put together a quality season in the Orioles organization in 2021.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound right-hander posted a 3.52 ERA across 84.1 innings (23 appearances, 20 starts) with Low-A Delmarva and High-A Aberdeen, establishing himself as a possible under-the-radar gem in a rapidly improving farm system.
But Young required Tommy John surgery after just three outings the following season, putting a quick end to his 2022 campaign. It was the second elbow reconstruction Young had gone through, with the first coming when he was … 13 years old.
“It definitely was a little bit tougher this time around,” Young said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 16. “I was [13] when I had my first one, so I was just way more naïve to it, kind of just knew I was going to come back healthy. This time it was a little bit tougher, a little more strenuous, a little more doubt I think mentally coming back.”
Young, 26, returned to the mound in 2023, tossing 40 innings across four stops as he got his feet wet post-surgery. He has taken another step forward this year, recording a 3.56 ERA in 86 innings with Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk while striking out 106 and walking 29 with the help of a cutter he developed during his rehab.
Young said he started feeling like his “old self” in spring training this year in terms of how his body was moving. He explained his arm was listening to him, meaning his mind and arm were synched up. Tommy John rehab is a long, arduous process, as Young discovered for a second time.
“Especially the first day you throw it’s like, ‘All right, this feels really weird,'” Young said. “There’s a couple days over the next few months where it’s like, ‘All right, it feels pretty good.’ Then you get on a mound again and then it’s like, ‘All right, this honestly feels terrible.’ … Every day’s a new journey in trying to find that timing and trying to find it where it listens to you and feel good again.”
Young isn’t totally sure why his elbow has given out twice but figures it probably has to do something with how he pitched as a youngster.
“I think when I had the surgery when I was 13, I was 6-5, 160 pounds. I was skin and bones trying to throw as hard as I could. I don’t think my arm was ready for that,” Young said. “I was throwing year-round, high school ball and travel ball. I would say it’s probably an overuse thing and trying to throw as hard as I could at the time. It’s kind of crazy.”
The Orioles are keeping close tabs on Young this year in his first full season back from Tommy John. He has completed five innings just seven times, with four of those times coming in August as part of his gradual buildup. He has already cleared his previous innings high (84.1), setting him up for a full workload in 2025.
But Young may have some business to take care of before 2025. Orioles GM Mike Elias recently mentioned that Young is “on the radar screen” in terms of a possible major league promotion. Young has thrown in relief just six times throughout his pro career, but would he be up for it if the Orioles need him in that capacity?
“I haven’t even really thought about that,” Young said. “I just like to pitch, just like all of us do. We just want to be on the mound. … I think that’s my No. 1 goal, that’s my dream. I would confidently say yeah.”
For more from Young, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Scott Sears