The Atlanta Braves have signed the 21-year-old Russian left-handed pitcher Nikolay Lobanov according to Baseball America. It is already his second shot at affiliated minor league ball, as he spent two seasons with the Gulf Coast League team of the Minnesota Twins in 2007 and 2008. However the American League central organization released him in spring training of 2009. He had an ERA of 5.40 in 13 1/3 innings, while striking out ten and walking nine. This summer he helped the North Stars Moscow clinching a Russian spot in the 2011 European Cup tournaments. Lobanov was named MVP at the European Cup Qualifier in Brest, Belarus in June and pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief at the Playoff against Technika Brno in September. He got on the radar of the Braves during several training camps in Tenerife.