On this day in 1988 Eric Arnett was born in Columbus, Ohio. He pitched for Indiana before the Brewers made him the 26th overall pick in the 2009 draft, and signed shortly thereafter to get his professional career underway.
Unfortunately, that may have been the last thing in Arnett's career that's gone according to plan. He posted a 6.79 ERA between low-A Wisconsin and rookie Arizona in his first full professional season in 2010, then repeated Wisconsin (and rookie ball) and got knocked around again in 2011 to the tune of a 5.13 ERA over 79 innings.
Finally, the 2012 campaign gave us all some hope for Arnett's future. He posted a 3.56 ERA over 33 relief appearances for Brevard County in his first opportunity to work consistently as a reliever, striking out 61 batters in 60.2 innings of work. It's possible he could open 2013 with Huntsville and have a chance to resurrect his career a bit.
Arnett turns 25 today. With help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to:
- 2005-08 Brewer Derrick Turnbow, who turns 35. We covered his birthday in this space last year.
- 1986-89 Brewer Juan Castillo, who turns 51. He was recently the subject of a Brewers A-Z post.
- 1953-61 Milwaukee Brave Mel Roach, who turns 80.