Orioles minor league pitcher Jesse Beal is having Tommy John surgery (plus other notes)

Orioles minor league right-hander Jesse Beal is undergoing Tommy John ligament replacement surgery today in Baltimore. The procedure is being performed by Dr. Derrick Papp, one of the O's team physicians.

A 14th-round draft pick by the Orioles in 2008 out of South County (Va.) High School, Beal went 2-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 41 1/3 innings last summer at Single-A Frederick. He was a minor league free agent after the year but the O's re-signed him.

Beal began this year healthy and pitched in some spring training games, but the issue began to surface around the middle of spring training.

Now Beal will miss all of the 2015 season and will have to come back from a second surgery. In the summer of 2010, Beal was one of the top young pitchers in the rotation at Single-A Delmarva, going 7-6 with a 3.86 ERA over 19 starts. He was named to the South Atlantic League's All-Star Game. But he underwent labrum surgery in May 2011 and missed all of that season.

He is 19-18 with an ERA of 4.22 in six seasons in the Orioles organization.

Here are other notes and quotes from the O's minor leagues with the season set to start for their four full-season affiliates on Thursday night:

* There has been some talk and buzz this spring about pitcher Branden Kline's velocity increase. He is pitching more often now in the mid-90s and he said one reason for the increase was offseason work he did with weighted baseballs. He worked out with Norfolk pitcher Tyler Wilson, who also saw a velocity increase through the weighted ball program. Kline and Wilson were college teammates at the University of Virginia.

The 23-year-old Kline was the O's second-round pick in 2012 and is rated the club's No. 26 prospect by Baseball America. He went 8-8 with a 4.08 ERA last year in 23 starts at Single-A Frederick and three at Double-A Bowie.

He starts this year as the No. 3 starter at Bowie and he has impressed his manager Gary Kendall.

"Not to knock what I saw in him last year, but I'm seeing a much better fastball angle, more velocity, and a sharper breaking ball," Kendall said. "He had a great changeup last year and threw a good one in spring. He looks to be going deeper in games and be more efficient.

"He's a little different pitcher then when I had him in Arizona (in the AFL) in 2013," Kendall said. "He seems to be maturing and getting his feet on the ground. We're looking for great things out of Branden. He's got a great arm and is a quality kid."

* After pitching the last two seasons at Single-A Delmarva and Single-A Frederick, right-hander Matt Hobgood has finally made it to the the Double-A level and begins the year in Bowie's bullpen.

The 24-year-old right-hander was the O's first-round pick - taken fifth overall - in the 2009 draft. Hobgood had shoulder surgery on April 2, 2012 and missed all of that season he has been working his way back since then.

Last year for Frederick, he went 3-4 with a 4.48 ERA. Over 64 1/3 innings he allowed 64 hits with 30 walks and 48 strikeouts.

"It has taken me a while, but I am really excited to finally get to Double-A," he said during Baysox media day. "It is something I've worked hard for. Really happy to be here and we have a good team. Should be fun.

"I need to just keep the ball down and get people out. My arm is healthy, my body is good, I'm in good shape. Just have to throw strikes and make my pitches."

* Right-hander Jon Keller begins the season in the Frederick bullpen. The O's No. 13-ranked prospect went 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA for Single-A Delmarva in 2014 and 0-0 with an 8.31 ERA in two games for Frederick. Keller was the O's organization Pitcher of the Month for June, when he had a 1.13 ERA in six appearances.

But Keller missed the last month of last season with a painful injury.

"I actually tore my oblique off my ribs and it sidelined me for the rest of the year. Pretty painful, but I'm 100 percent now. Ready to go.

"We were in Winston-Salem and I was warming up on the game mound, my eight pitches. On my second to last one I felt a few pops. Thought I might have just tweaked it. I tried to throw again and I could not even follow through. I locked up. That was one of the more painful things I've been through. They called it a Grade 1. Tore if off like three of my ribs. But I feel really good now."

The Orioles' 22nd-round pick in 2013 out of the University of Tampa, Keller began his college career at Nebraska. He throws a fastball that has touched the mid 90s with a potential plus slider and could move to Double-A if he gets off to a good start with the Keys.

Thursday's season openers:

* Triple-A Norfolk at Charlotte with Tyler Wilson pitching.
* Bowie at Richmond with Tim Berry on the mound.
* Frederick hosts Winston-Salem with Mitch Horacek pitching.
* Delmarva hosts Greensboro with John Means on the hill.