Tony Barnette

Anthony Lee "Tony" Barnette (born November 9, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.

Career

Barnette is from Federal Way, Washington and attended Thomas Jefferson High School. He attended Arizona State University, where he pitched for the Sun Devils.^[1] Barnette was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 10th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. He played in the Diamondbacks' organization through 2009, at which point he signed with the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

Barnette pitching for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2015 Japan Series

At the conclusion of the 2015 NPB season, his sixth with the Yakult Swallows, Barnette had appeared in 260 career games as a relief pitcher, compiling an 11–19 record and 97 saves with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. His 2015 season, in which the Swallows won the Central League, was his most successful by several measures. Barnette tied for first in the Central League in saves (41) and recorded the lowest ERA among closers (1.29, a career best).^[2] He allowed just one home run in 62.2 innings and set a career-low WHIP of 0.89.

Texas Rangers

Barnette signed a two-year deal with the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball on December 15, 2015.^[3] He made his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners on April 5, 2016. He allowed two runs on 3 hits while getting his first career MLB strikeout in two-thirds of an inning pitched.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tony Barnette.

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Tony Barnette on Twitter