Orioles Add Six to 40-Man Roster

The Orioles today announced that they have added right-handed pitchers BRANDON ERBE and LUIS LEBRON and infielders JOSH BELL, PEDRO FLORIMON, RHYNE HUGHES and BRANDON SNYDER to their 40-man Major League roster. Erbe, 21, went 5-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 18 starts between rookie-level Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. The Orioles' third round pick in 2005, Erbe is a product of Baltimore's McDonogh High School. Bell, who turned 23 on November 13, batted .275 with 20 home runs and 76 RBI in 127 games between Double-A Chattanooga and Bowie. The switch-hitting third baseman batted .339 with 19 homers and 64 RBI from the left side of the plate. Bell was obtained by the Orioles in a July 30th trade that sent LHP GEORGE SHERRILL to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers' fourth round pick in the 2005 draft, Bell was named Most Valuable Player in the 2009 Southern League All-Star Game. Bell is currently playing in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, where he is batting .321 (27-84) with eight doubles, two homers and 18 RBI in 21 games. Lebron, 24, was 3-3 with 20 saves and a 2.54 ERA in 52 games between Class-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. Signed by the Orioles as a non-drafted free agent in January of 2004, Lebron was a 2009 Carolina League All-Star for Frederick. Florimon, 22, batted .267 (115-430) with nine home runs and 68 RBI in 115 games for Class-A Frederick. Florimon's nine home runs in 2009 nearly doubled his five-season career total (five) entering the season. Signed by the Orioles as a non-drafted free agent in June of 2004, Florimon was the starting shortstop in the 2009 Carolina League All-Star Game and finished fourth in the league with 32 doubles and sixth in the league with 76 runs scored. Hughes, 25, was acquired by the Orioles from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for CA GREGG ZAUN in August. He batted .279 with 25 home runs and 79 RBI in 134 minor league games between Triple-A Norfolk and Durham and Double-A Montgomery. Hughes was the Rays' eighth round pick in 2004. Snyder, 22, batted .289 with 37 doubles, 12 home runs and 88 RBI in 131 games between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. The first baseman was the Orioles' first round pick in 2005. In the 2009 Arizona Fall League, Snyder is batting .354 (23-65) with five doubles, three home runs and 18 RBI in 17 games. With the six additions, the Orioles' 40-man roster is at capacity.