Andrew Albers

Andrew William Albers (born October 6, 1985) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners, as well as in the KBO League for the Hanwha Eagles. Prior to beginning his professional career, he played college baseball at the University of Kentucky. Albers has also competed for the Canadian national baseball team.\n', ' Albers went to high school at John Paul II Collegiate. He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 12th round (346th overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. Albers enrolled at the University of Kentucky, where he played college baseball for the Kentucky Wildcats baseball team in the Southeastern Conference of the NCAA Division I. At Kentucky, Albers pitched in 81 games (fifth most in Wildcats history), recording 20 wins (fourth most in Wildcats history), and 12 saves (third most in Wildcats history).\n', ' The San Diego Padres selected Albers in the 10th round (315th overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. After signing with the Padres, Albers made his professional debut with the Arizona League Padres of the Rookie-level Arizona League, making five appearances. Albers missed the 2009 season after tearing an ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow during spring training, which required Tommy John surgery. The Padres released Albers, and he pitched for the Québec Capitales of the independent Can-Am Association in 2010. With Québec, Albers had a 3-0 win–loss record, 17 saves and a 1.40 earned run average (ERA). Albers tried out for teams in Arizona during spring training in 2011, and drove to Florida to try out for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins signed Albers to a minor league contract, and he pitched for the Fort Myers Miracle of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League and New Britain Rock Cats of the Double-A Eastern League in 2011.\n', '