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Christopher Daniel Britton (born December 16, 1982) is a right-handed former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.

Chris Britton
Britton with the San Diego Padres in 2009 spring training.
Relief pitcher
Born: (1982-12-16) December 16, 1982 (age 39) Hollywood, Florida
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 12, 2006, for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
September 26, 2008, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	0–3
Earned run average	3.83
Strikeouts	58
Teams
Baltimore Orioles (2006) New York Yankees (2007–2008)

High school

Britton attended Plantation High School in Florida. He was first-team All-Broward County and second team All-State.

Baseball career

Draft

Britton was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the eighth round (233rd overall) of the 2001 MLB draft.[1]

Minor leagues

As of August 14, 2007, he has averaged 7.6 hits, 2.9 walks, and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings in the Minor Leagues.

In 2005, Britton was a High-A All-Star. He was 6-0 that year with a 1.60 ERA, and in 78.2 innings, he gave up only 47 hits and 23 walks while striking out 110 batters.[2]

Baltimore Orioles

As a rookie with the Orioles in 2006, Britton made 52 relief appearances, and was 0-2 with a 3.35 ERA while allowing 46 hits and recording 41 strikeouts and 17 walks in 53.2 innings pitched.[2]

New York Yankees

On November 12, 2006, the Orioles traded Britton to the New York Yankees for right-handed pitcher Jaret Wright and $4 million.[3] He started the season at AAA Scranton but was called up on April 15, 2007 after a string of injuries to starting pitching and a pair of extra inning games.[4] He made his first appearance with the Yankees two days later, on April 17, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.[5] He was recalled on August 29, 2007, with Sean Henn getting sent down to AAA.[6] On June 6, 2008, Britton was placed on the disabled list.[7]

Following the 2008 season, Britton was non-tendered by the Yankees, making him a free agent.[8]

San Diego Padres

On December 19, 2008, the Padres announced the signing of Britton to a minor league deal.[9] On May 25, 2009, the Padres released Britton due to a poor start at Triple-A.

In 15 appearances for the Padres Double-A and Triple-A teams, Britton threw 202⁄3 innings, allowed 24 earned runs, 39 hits and 8 walks and struck out 10, with an ERA of 10.45.[2]

Independent baseball

Britton signed with the York Revolution of the Independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball for the 2009 season.[10] He signed with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association for the 2010 season.[11] He was released from the Saltdogs on June 28, 2010.[12]

Weight

At 275 pounds, Britton was one of the heaviest players in baseball. The only other major leaguers who were listed as heavy or heavier at the time were CC Sabathia, Jonathan Broxton, Bobby Jenks, Adam Dunn, and Dmitri Young.

"Brittongate"

While Britton has generally put up good minor league numbers and had success with the Orioles during the 2006 season, he has been generally overlooked by the Yankees. Yankees fan blogs, which generally bemoan the team's relief pitchers, quickly grew frustrated with the team's reluctance to place Britton on the major league roster, or use him when available. This unwillingness to use the pitcher has been dubbed "Brittongate."[13] General manager Brian Cashman expressed confidence in Britton: "He has not failed in any capacity at any level. Every chance he’s gotten, he’s had success, period. That’s what defines Chris Britton. I can’t tell you any more than that."[14]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
• Winter Wonders: All Hail Great Britton Baseball America, January 19, 2005

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