Former McDonogh Baseball Standout Determined To Reach Majors

Brandon Erbe sat in a doctor’s office last August, contemplating what exactly his future would hold.

Just a year earlier, Erbe, a third-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2005, was in the midst of a career season, shining as a starting pitcher for Class-AA Bowie, and believing that he was on the fast track to, very soon, fulfilling his dream of one day reaching the major leagues.

Yet, as Erbe listened to his doctor explain the severity of his injury on that day in August, hearing that he had a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder that would require surgery along with 9 to 12 months of rehabilitation, the former McDonogh school star, and Owings Mills native, all of a sudden found himself wondering just when, or if, he would be ever be able to fulfill that dream.

“At the time, there were a lot of different things that I was thinking about, and I really didn’t know what my future was going to hold,” Erbe said. “Especially with shoulder surgeries, there’s a huge risk for pitchers. But I just tried to take the most positive approach I could, attack it head on, get it fixed and hope that I’d be able to get back to where I was.”

Although it’s been a frustrating year for the 23-year old Erbe, who had surgery shortly after receiving the diagnosis and has spent the majority of the last 12 months rehabbing, he says his shoulder now feels as good as it has at any point during this process and has a much more optimistic outlook than he did at this same point a year ago.

“I feel great right now,” said Erbe, who is currently on a rehab assignment with Class-A Aberdeen. “I just feel strong and feel like I’m in the best shape that I’ve been in. I feel great, and I have little moments here and there where I can feel myself getting back to where I was before the injury.”

Erbe yielded four earned runs on five hits in just an inning of work in his first appearance for the Ironbirds July 23, but has posted two straight scoreless innings since.

Erbe, who utilizes a four-pitch repertoire consisting of a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a slider and a changeup, struggled last year for Class-AAA Norfolk prior to being shut down with the injury, but was 5-3 with a 2.34 ERA with Bowie in 2009, surrendering just 44 hits in 14 starts. Opposing hitters batted just .170 against him.

A year earlier, he was 10-12 with a 4.30 ERA for Class-A Frederick and led the Carolina League in strikeouts (151 in 150 2/3 innings).

A second-team All-Metro selection as a senior at McDonogh in 2005, Erbe was 5-3 with a 1.29 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 65 innings of work during his final season with the Eagles.

“He offers a lot as a pitcher,” said Aberdeen teammate Joe Velleggia, who has played baseball with Erbe since the two were nine years old. “I’m not sure whether he’s going to go back to being a starter or whether he’s going to become a reliever, but he’s a power pitcher and hopefully he can get back to throwing the smoke I know he can throw.”

Velleggia added, “He just knows how to pitch. He’s matured a lot as a pitcher. He’s been to the higher levels, and he knows what he’s doing out there. I just want him to get back healthy as soon as possible.”

Erbe is hoping for the same thing, eager to not only finish the season out strong but start to put himself back in a position to fulfill that dream of one day reaching the major league level.

“The immediate goal is just to stay healthy,” Erbe said. “That’s the biggest thing, and has been my biggest focus all year. I’m not sure how long my rehab stints are going to be, at Aberdeen and wherever I go next, but I just want to stay healthy and perform well.”

He did add, however, “I obviously want to get to the big leagues, though, and then, once I’m there, stay there and help the team. That would be the ultimate for me.

"But, for me, I just have to get there, and I’m going to do whatever I have to do until that happens. I just can’t see myself never getting there. For most of my life, probably 18 years of my life, I’ve been strictly focused on getting to the big leagues, especially with the Orioles, so this is a big deal to me.

"And if I’m able to come back and make that happen, I couldn’t even try to explain the emotions that I would feel, but it would make all these obstacles well worth it.”