Phillies sign Brandon Erbe

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed right-hander Brandon Erbe to a minor league contract, reports Jayson Stark of ESPN:

#Phillies have signed RHP Brandon Erbe to a minor-league deal. Once a big #Orioles prospect. Battled shoulder issues last 3 seasons.

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 26, 2012

The Baltimore Orioles selected Erbe in the third round of the 2005 MLB Draft. He was considered as one of the team’s best young arms for several years, and he even cracked Baseball America’s top-100 prospects list entering the 2007 season.

However, Stark indicates that the 24-year-old has "battled shoulder issues" over the past three seasons. These injuries have limited Erbe to 39 appearances, including 19 starts, in the last three years.

Erbe spent the 2012 season with the Orioles’ high-A club, pitching mostly out of the bullpen for the first time since his professional debut in 2005. Over 19 appearances, including one start, spanning 30 1/3 innings he posted an ERA of 6.82.

Over eight seasons in the minors Erbe has maintained an ERA of 4.57 with 9.0 strikeouts and 3.8 walks per nine innings.