Christopher Daniel Britton (born December 16, 1982 in Hollywood, Florida) is a right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher, currently playing for the New York Yankees.
High School[]
Britton attended Plantation High School in Florida. He was 1st-team All-Broward County and 2nd team All-State.
Baseball career[]
Draft[]
He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 8th round of the 2001 draft.
Minor leagues[]
As of August 14, 2007, he has averaged 7.6 hits, 2.9 walks, and 9.5 strikeouts per 9 innings in the Minor Leagues.
In 2005 he was a High-A All-Star. He was 6-0 that year with a 1.60 ERA, and in 78.2 innings gave up on only 47 hits and 23 walks, while striking out 110 batters.
Baltimore Orioles[]
As a rookie with the Orioles in 2006, in 52 relief appearances Britton was 0-2 with a 3.35 ERA, with 46 hits, 41 strikeouts, and 17 walks in 53.2 innings.
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.[1] 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. He made his first appearance with the Yankees two days later, on April 17, pitching a scoreless ninth inning. He was recalled on August 29, 2007, with Sean Henn getting sent down to AAA. On June 6, 2008, Britton was placed on the disabled list.
Weight[]
At 275 pounds, Britton is one of the heaviest players in baseball. The only other major leaguers who are listed as-heavy or heavier are CC Sabathia, Jonathan Broxton, and Bobby Jenks. Like Britton, they are also pitchers in their 20s.
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."[2] Recently, 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."[3]
Miscellaneous[]
- He has a 92-93 mph fastball, a changeup, and a slider.
- Hobbies are hunting and fishing.
References[]
- ↑ Fordin, Spencer (2006-11-12). O's finalize deal with Yanks for Wright. MLB.com. Retrieved on 2008-6-3.
- ↑ Britton-gate. RiverAveBlues.com (2007-8-22). Retrieved on 2008-6-3.
- ↑ Kepner, Tyler (2008-5-29). Kennedy Is Put on Disabled List, But He May Throw in a Week. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-6-3.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Winter Wonders: All Hail Great Britton Baseball America, January 19, 2005
This article is a stub. You can help The Baseball Wiki by expanding it.| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Britton, Chris |
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| DATE OF BIRTH | 1982 |
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