Current Contract
Signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on March 4, 2008. 2007 Rule 5 draft selection, on the 25-Man Roster.

Became a Cardinal
Selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2007 Rule 5 draft.

2008 Season
Barton suffered a couple of injuries that limited his playing time in 2008. A fractured hand in July and a strained right oblique landed him on the DL in July and August, limited him to 82 games this season and 152 at-bats. He was given a chance to play a major role on the team, getting to play in 21 games in April, but saw limited playing time, the rest of the season. He hit .268, 2 HRs, 13 RBIs for the year for the Cardinals. Barton who will no longer be protected by the MLB roster requirement in the Rule 5 Draft, will likely spend most of the 2009 season, at Triple-A Memphis.

2007 Season
Barton split playing time between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo, Barton hit .305/.402/.420 with 10 homers, 66 RBI and 21 steals. He underwent knee surgery at the end of the 2007 season but is expected to be ready for spring training.

Career Notes
Selected by Los Angeles Dodgers in 38th Round (1137th overall) of 2000 amateur entry draft (June-Reg).

Signed by Cleveland as a non-drafted free agent, 8/13/04. In 2006 Barton was ranked by Baseball America as the Cleveland Indians #5 prospect.

Player Awards
Birdhouse Top 40 Prospect 2008: 7a
Named to the Topps 2006 Class-A All-Star Team.

Photo: Doug Bene/Getty Images