#ShorebirdsThrowback: Brad Bergesen

This week's #ShorebirdsThrowback takes a look back at Brad Bergesen, who pitched for the Delmarva Shorebirds in 2006 and 2007.

After being taken in the fourth round in the 2004 Amateur Draft by the Orioles, hopes were high for Bergesen when he started the 2006 campaign with the Shorebirds. He was just 20 years old and one of the brightest young pitching prospects in the system.

Unfortunately, a bout with illness limited Bergesen to just 18 games (14 starts), and he lost 15 pounds due to his sickness The bumps in the road that season provided many important lessons, as Bergesen told The Contra Costa Times in 2007:

"You always hear when you're a kid that you should take care of your body, eat right and get your rest," he said. "And when you're a kid, it goes in one ear and out the other. But that really hit me once I got up here."

A healthy and refocused Bergesen returned to the Shorebirds in 2007 and posted one of the best stretches by a pitcher in team history. He went 7-3 in 15 starts while posting a 2.19 ERA, earning him a selection to the South Atlantic League All-Star Game. He ended his run in Delmarva by going 4-0 in his last seven starts, going over a month without losing a game.

Bergesen was then promoted to Frederick, where he began a quick rise to the majors. At just 23, he made his MLB debut with the Orioles on April 21, 2009 and picked up his first win against the Chicago White Sox. His rookie season in '09 was his most impressive, as Bergesen posted a 7-5 record with a 3.43 ERA.

His time with the Orioles lasted until 2012, when he was put on waivers and picked up by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has appeared in 102 MLB games in his four-year career with 19 wins.

Bergesen then signed with the Chunichi Dragons of the Central League in Japan following the 2012 season. He appeared in 14 games while playing overseas (11 starts), going 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA.

After taking the 2014 season off, Bergesen made a comeback to baseball by signing with the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League and appearing in 10 games in 2015.

Bergesen's place in Shorebirds history has been cemented in a few different ways. The team held a popular bobblehead giveaway in 2010, and he is one of the players featured in the Mountaire Walk of Fame on the main concourse at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.