Bret Barberie

Amateur career

Barberie played baseball at Gahr High School in Cerritos, California, before moving on to Cerritos College and later the University of Southern California, where he suited up for the Trojans in the Pacific-10 Conference. He earned a spot on the All-Pacific-10 Conference first team in 1988. That same summer, he represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics, taking home a gold medal, and also competed in the 1988 Baseball World Cup, where he won a silver medal.

Professional career

The Montreal Expos selected Barberie in the seventh round of the 1988 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut with the Expos on June 16, 1991, batting .353 in 136 at-bats that season. In 1992, with Delino DeShields as the starting second baseman, the Expos played Barberie at third base after moving Tim Wallach to first base. He struggled, was demoted to the minor leagues, and finished with a .232 batting average.

The Florida Marlins, an expansion team, selected Barberie from the Expos in the 1992 expansion draft as the third player chosen. He was a member of the inaugural Marlins team in 1993 and recorded the first hit in franchise history, a single off Orel Hersheiser on Opening Day. Barberie batted .277 in 1993. In May 1994, he got chili pepper juice in his eye while putting in contact lenses, was temporarily blinded, and missed that day's game.

He led the National League in errors by a second baseman in 1994, though he batted .301. After the season, the Marlins acquired Quilvio Veras and traded Barberie to the Baltimore Orioles for Jay Powell. He started at second base for the Orioles through June 4, then was replaced by Manny Alexander. Barberie became a free agent after 1995 and signed with the Chicago Cubs for 1996 as a non-roster invitee.

He began 1996 with the Iowa Cubs of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and was promoted to the Cubs in May. In 1997, he played for the Mission Viejo Vigilantes of the independent Western Baseball League. The next season, he played for the Oklahoma City RedHawks of the PCL, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers.