About Johnny Barbato

John Edward Barbato (/bɑːrˈbeɪtoʊ/ bar-BAY-toh; born July 11, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, and Detroit Tigers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

Playing career
Barbato attended Felix Varela High School in Miami, Florida. He received a scholarship from the University of Florida.

San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres selected Barbato in the sixth round, with the 184th overall selection, of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed with San Diego rather than attend college. He made his professional debut in 2011 with the Low–A Eugene Emeralds, posting a 4.89 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 15 appearances (13 starts). Barbato spent the 2012 season with the Single–A Fort Wayne TinCaps, making 48 appearances out of the bullpen and logging a 6–1 record and 1.84 ERA with 84 strikeouts across 73+1⁄3 innings.

In 2013, Barbato made 49 appearances for the High–A Lake Elsinore Storm, registering a 5.01 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 14 saves across 88 innings pitched. He made 27 relief outings for the Double–A San Antonio Missions in 2014, recording a 2.87 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 16 saves across 31+1⁄3 innings of work.