Outfielder Brian Barton, Infielder Renny Osuna and Infielder Kody Hightower Are Newest Additions to 2013 Roster

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs manager Patrick Osborn continued to fill-in the 2013 roster, as he announced three more additions to the team today. Outfielder Brian Barton will rejoin the team this season, while infielders Renny Osuna and Kody Hightower will play their first season with Southern Maryland in 2013.

Barton, 30, will return to the Blue Crabs for a second straight year after finishing third on the team and 12th in the Atlantic League in batting average (.309) during the 2012 season. The six-foot-three, 190-pound Barton also finished among the top three for Southern Maryland in games played (130), runs (66), hits (153), triples (6), RBIs (60) and stolen bases (23), as well as owning the highest batting average (.375) for the Blue Crabs during their 2012 playoff run.

Before coming to Southern Maryland, Barton spent a majority of his career playing Triple-A ball as part of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta braves farm organizations. Barton also appeared in 83 games for the Cardinals and Braves as a utility outfielder with a .268 average, 23 runs, 41 hits, 13 extra-base hits and 13 RBIs from 2008-09.

The Los Angeles, Calif. native was originally signed by Cleveland as an amateur free agent in 2005 and made his major league debut on April 1, 2008 for the Cardinals. Barton last appeared in a major league uniform for Atlanta on June 3, 2009.


(smnewsnet.com)

York, PA - No one can accuse the York Revolution of being time wasters.

They got right to things Monday night at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

Just not the way they necessarily wanted to in a 10-3 loss to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the opener of a three-game series.

In 10 pitches Revolution manager Andy Etchebarren was already done for the game, ejected for arguing after his starting pitcher, Jesus Sanchez, walked the first two batters.

It's Etchebarren's second ejection in four games.

Unlike Friday, when he openly criticized the umpires, Etchebarren was unavailable for comment following the game. He had already left the stadium.

Fifteen pitches after the ejection, Sanchez joined him in the clubhouse after giving up a grand slam to Brian Barton and allowing six runs to six hitters.

And sometime soon after that, Etchebarren informed Sanchez his services with the York Revolution (20-23) were no longer needed, releasing him from the team during the middle of the game.

It was a move the Revolution planned on making after the game regardless. With Etchebarren and Sanchez in the clubhouse prematurely, why waste each other's time?

The release was official around the fifth inning, the first time the Revolution have released a player mid-game.

Sanchez had already left the stadium by the time the game had ended as well.

A corresponding move is expected to happen Wednesday.

Sanchez's night couldn't have been any worse.

It took five pitches before he threw a strike.

He walked the first two batters, prefacing Etchebarren's ejection, and then gave up singles to the next two batters. After leadoff hitter Paco Figueroa scored on Casey Benjamin's single, Barton stepped in with the bases loaded and quickly unloaded them.

The grand slam by Barton, a former highly-regarded prospect of the Cleveland Indians, hit off of the top of the green, inflatable bounce house located over the left-centerfield fence.

Sanchez, a left-hander, then walked the next batter, Matt Padgett, before leaving the game without recording an out. He threw 25 pitches, nine for strikes. All six batters he faced scored.

Southern Maryland starter Matthew Vasquez didn't work nearly as hard in all of his six innings.

Sure, the Revolution picked up two runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI groundout by Scott Grimes and an RBI single by Michael Hernandez.

But Vasquez settled in after the Hernandez single, retiring 17 of the next 21 batters he faced.

He allowed four hits, three coming in the first inning. And he walked three.

The only two runs he allowed were in the first.

Considering the six-run deficit it was handed in the first inning, the York bullpen was efficient.

After Sanchez was removed, the Blue Crabs (23-21) picked up two more runs in the first inning off of left-hander Yunior Novoa.

Novoa followed that with three scoreless innings.

"He saved our pen pretty much," York pitching coach Mark Mason said. "That was my goal at that point in the game was just try not to kill us for the next seven days. At that point in the game, managing your bullpen is what you do anyway. When it's crazy early, someone has to give you some extra time out there and Novoa did that tonight."

Dumas Garcia, James Houser, Stephen Penney and Chris Regas limited the Blue Crabs to two runs on six hits the rest of the way.

Grimes offered what little offensive moments the Revolution had, hitting a solo home run in the ninth. He finished the game 1-for-5 with two RBI.

"I thought the bullpen did a pretty good job trying to keep the damage down after the first inning," Mason said. "It's hard to comeback from a snowman in the first inning."


(ydr.com)

Cincinnati Reds OF Brian Barton signed with the Hiroshima Carp of the Japanese League Monday, July 18.





(kffl.com)

LOUISVILLE, KY - The Bats improved to 2-0 in extra inning games this year when outfielder Brian Barton hit a walk off two run home run in the bottom of the 13th inning Sunday to beat the Indians 6-4.

Barton's first home run of the season drove in Kristopher Negron, who went 3-for-5 on the day with a pair of runs scored. Barton's blast, came off of Tony Watson (0-2, 4.76) and was the second walk off home run for the Bats this week.

Matt Hague led the way for the Indians offensively with a double and a triple. The Indians put some pressure on the Bats' defense in the top of the 12th with two runners on base and came within inches of taking the lead on a line drive hit down the left field line just foul by Hague.

Homer Bailey (0-0,0.00) made his first start of the season, a rehab start for the Bats, allowing two hits in five scoreless innings. Indians starter Brian Burres (0-2, 2.55) pitched seven shutout innings striking out eight. Bailey threw 62 pitches over his five innings of work and struck out two
In the top of the eighth with the game still knotted at 0-0, Indians second baseman Brian Friday led off with a triple to right field off of Bats reliever Daniel Ray Herrera (0-1, 4.50). With Friday on third base Herrera struck out the next two batters and got Chase d'Arnaud to ground out to shortstop to end the threat. A pitchers duel through seven innings, the Bats broke out for four runs in the eighth inning.

In the bottom of the eighth the Bats loaded the bases against Dan Meyer (0-0, 5.40), with one out on two walks and a hit batter. After a pitching change Jeremy Hermida cleared the bases with a double to center off Indians left hander Daniel Moskos (0-0, 0.00), giving the Bats a 3-0 lead.
Devin Mesoraco later brought Hermida in to score with a sacrifice fly to centerfield extending the Bats lead to 4-0.

Carlos Fisher (0-0, 10.80) came in to pitch the ninth inning for the Bats, with a 4-0 lead, and failed to get an out. Fisher gave up a walk and three hits to the four batters he faced, all of which scored. Jerry Gil (0-0, 3.00) replaced Fisher and gave up a first pitch RBI-double to left tying the game at 4-4 before getting three straight outs to keep the score tied.

The Bats (9-2) evened the home series with the Indians (2-9) at 1-1 with the rubber match coming Monday night at 6:35 p.m. Scott Caroll (0-0, 4.63) is scheduled to get the start on Social Media Night against Sean Gallagher (0-2, 8.00).



(web.minorleaguebaseball.com)

Check this video of proCane Brian Barton who is one semester away from graduating with an Aerospace Engineering degree.





(yahoo.com)

All nine Reds’ runs scored on home runs in their 9-1 victory over the White Sox. Gomes hit his fourth home run of the spring. Drew Stubbs hit a three-run shot, his second homer of the spring. Brian Barton closed it out with three-run homer. Barton is in camp on minor league deal. But he hit .268 with two home runs and 13 RBI in 153 at-bats for the Cardinals in 2008. Mike Costanzo hit a two-run shot in the ninth.



(mlb.com)

Brian Barton had his “cup of coffee” in the Major Leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2008 season, and like any player getting a taste of big league baseball, wanted seconds.

After going undrafted out of college, Barton was signed by the Cleveland Indians late in the 2004 season. He would start out with Cleveland’s single-A minor league team, and was gradually able to rise in the farm system until he reached the club’s Triple-A affiliate. Despite putting up very good numbers throughout his tenure with the Indians’ farm teams, Barton was unable to make it on to the 40-man roster and was picked up by the Cardinals during the annual Rule 5 draft.

Barton was able to realize his childhood dream as he made the St. Louis Cardinals’ opening-day roster during the 2008 campaign. Although not a full-time starter, Barton appeared in 82 games with the club and posted a respectable .268 batting average to go along with a .354 on-base percentage and 13 RBIs.

Even though he was a solid contributor on the Cardinals squad, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves the following season where he only appeared in one game. Barton would bounce around the minor leagues for a few seasons as he tried in vain to catch on with another major league team.

After being released by the Braves for a second time early in the 2010 season, Barton was able to find a home and starting job with the Newark Bears. Over the course of the 2010 season, Barton flashed all the physical tools that made him so desired by the Cleveland Indians all those years ago as he lead the Bears in almost every major offensive category.

For the season, Barton hit an astounding .375 to along with 19 homeruns, 65 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. His peers in the Atlantic League took notice of Barton’s truly remarkable season as he was named to the Atlantic League All-Star team, the only Bear to make the roster last season.
It turns out that Barton made so much noise during his time with the Bears that he was able to catch the attention of some Major League Baseball officials once again. The reigning National League Central Champion Cincinnati Reds caught wind of what Barton had accomplished in Newark last season and signed him to a minor league contract.

Although he has not officially made a major league roster yet, Brian Barton was able to make the most of his time with the Newark Bears and put on a display that reminded everyone how talented he truly is. Now Barton must prove himself again, as he must work his way up the deep Reds’ farm system.

Though the road will be tough and there will be bumps along the way, there is no doubt that Barton will build on his success last season with the Bears and make the city of Newark proud with his hard work and relentless desire.



(examiner.com)