A bit on Barb

O's On Deck has a post on the Rule 5 draft picks of the Baltimore Orioles. Here is the part of the post about Andrew Barb ('07).

Barb didn’t pitch last season in the Mariners’ organization. The 24-year-old relief pitcher was 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 32 games for the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2007. He had 10 saves and 55 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings for Wisconsin. Barb notched 18 saves in 38 games for the Single-A Lakewood BlueClaws, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, in 2006. He had a 2.21 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 61 innings.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound pitcher is scheduled to play for the Double-A Bowie Baysox in 2009. While he could be considered old for that level of professional baseball, Barb seems to get a lot of strikeouts. In four seasons in the minors, he has 260 strikeouts in 212 2/3 innings. If nothing else, Barb will add depth to the bullpen for the Baysox as long as he’s able to make a successful return after a year away from baseball.