Ryan Thomas Drese is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 currently in the Houston Astros

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

 organization. He is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley and Bishop O'Dowd High School

Bishop O'Dowd High School

Bishop O'Dowd High School is a Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory school in Oakland, California, administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland and named for the late auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, James T. O'Dowd . About 44% of students are non-Catholic...

 in Oakland, California.

During a 6-year major league baseball career, Drese pitched from 2001-2006 for the Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers (baseball)

The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

, and Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...

. He was very effective for the Rangers as a starter in , winning 14 games. In , Drese was, somewhat surprisingly, placed on waivers after a slow start. This followed shortly after a mid-game, dugout scuffle between Drese and catcher Rod Barajas

Rod Barajas

Rodrigo Richard Barajas is a Mexican American professional baseball catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. He came up to the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks in...

 (apparently sparked by Drese's displeasure regarding pitch selection).

Drese spent most of the season on the disabled list

Disabled list

In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...

. He was released by the Nationals on October 3, 2006. He signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

 on August 3, , and was assigned to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a minor league baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They are a Class A Advanced team in the Carolina League and the franchise is currently the farm team of the Texas Rangers. From their inaugural season until 2010, the Pelicans were an affiliate of the...

, but he was released in March .

Drese signed with the Camden Riversharks

Camden Riversharks

The Camden Riversharks is an American professional baseball team based in Camden, New Jersey. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

 of the Atlantic League

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...

 on April 24, 2008. On June 27, he signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 and became a free agent at the end of the season. He resigned with the Riversharks for the 2009 season and played with the Long Island Ducks

Long Island Ducks

The Long Island Ducks is an American professional baseball team based in Central Islip, New York. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

 in 2010.

On February 3, 2011, Drese signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

 with an invite to spring training. He signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros on May 27, after he was released by the Orioles.

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