Orioles Top Prospect No. 15: Brandon Cooney

D.C. area fans have become accustomed to hearing chants of "Coooooooolllleeeeeeey!" at Washington Redskins games.

By the time this big Florida Atlantic grad hits Baltimore, there will most certainly be chants of "Coooooonnney!" And be certain, Brandon Cooney is most certainly on his way.

Cooney is one of many Florida Atlantic alumni who have found great success with the Orioles. Chris Salberg and Jeff Fiorentino have both made their mark, and now Cooney appears to be ready to make FAU a hotbed for Orioles recruiting.

Blessed with a flame-throwing right arm, Cooney has made the transition from inconsistent starter to dominant reliever look downright simple.

Brandon Cooney, RHP, 24 years old

Cooney began his meteoric rise at FAU, where he put together a rather inconsistent career, going 6-11 in two years with a 5.85 ERA over 19 starts. After the Orioles made him the 909th pick in the 2007 draft, Cooney set about his pro career.

He fared a little better as a starter for Bluefield, posting his best numbers since high school, but by the time his 10th start rolled around, he was experiencing severe shoulder pain that eventually shut him down for good. Luckily, his shoulder issues didn't warrant surgery.

It did, however, force the Orioles to reconsider subjecting his arm to the rigors of going six or seven innings per outing.

Brandon Cooney, RHP, 24 years old

Enter Brandon Cooney, the reliever. After rigorous rehab that included shedding some of his 263 pounds, Cooney returned to the field, this time for Aberdeen, where he pitched solely out of the bullpen.

The change seemed to do Cooney a world of good. He reduced the taxing on his shoulder and managed to put together a very fine season. He pitched in 28 games, saved 10 games, and struck out 38 in 26 innings.

More important, he held batters to a meek .242 average against and walked only nine batters all season, after issuing 14 the year before at Bluefield, and an average of 32 per year at FAU.

Brandon Cooney, RHP, 24 years old

Having firmly cemented himself as one of the Orioles' top relief prospects, Cooney set out to reach the top of the list. The 2009 season brought him to Delmarva, where Baseball America tabbed him for a possible 2009 season breakout.

Break out he did.

Cooney suffered a rough start to the season, but rebounded to pitch amazingly well over the rest of the year. In 38 games with Delmarva, he saved 16 games, struck out 36 in 43.2 innings, and finished with a career-best 2.68 ERA.

Best of all, he stayed healthy, and even earned an in-season promotion to High A Frederick, signaling him as one of the organization's top fliers. He didn't take the promotion in stride though, and pitched even better at Frederick, to the tune of a 0.60 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 15 innings.

Brandon Cooney, RHP, 24 years old

If 2009 was Cooney's breakout season, 2010 holds no limits. He'll likely begin the season at Frederick, but in my humble opinion, he should start with Bowie.

The learning curve for relievers isn't as great as for starters, so what's the harm? It's not like we're Daniel Cabrera-ing the kid.

Cooney should move fast, and we could even see a three-level year for the righty (Frederick-Bowie-Norfolk). I wouldn't even consider it out of the realm of possibility for a September call-up.

Needless to say, there is still plenty of things Cooney needs to work on. His control has gotten better over the years, and it appears he's finally adjusted to life in the pen, but he still needs to iron out some kinks with his slider, which could also be a plus pitch to pair with his outstanding fastball that touches 97.

If Cooney wasn't a reliever, he could easily jump into the top 10 on this list, but I'll play it conservative and play him at No. 15.