Latest Articles

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 05, 2009
Updated information about Playing in Italy
We have significantly updated information for players interested in playing in Italy. Please visit our Playing in Italy page and read it carefully, then send us an email with any questions.
Aggiunto alle 01:09 AM by Michael Etichette: Playing in Italy Citizenship	Link 0 Commenti

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2009
Playing in Italy 2009
With some of the excitement generated by Team Italia in the World Baseball Classic, we have been getting tons of emails about players interested in playing in Italy, so I wanted to cover the basics for the 2009 season. In the Italian Baseball League (Serie A1) Each team is now allowed 4 foreign players, reduced from 5 in past seasons. This is usually two pitchers and two hitters, although some teams prefer three hitters and one pitcher. The competition for these 32 slots is intense, and only players with extensive professional experience have much of a shot. There are lots of returning players from year to year, so there are many fewer than 32 slots, and most players have double-A or triple-A experience, with lots of big leaguers mixed in. This means if you are a great college player or a one season in the minors guy, you are going to have very little shot unless you are able to get Italian citizenship. In the second level, Serie A2, each of the 20 teams is now allowed a single foreign player, which effectively will mean a single foreign pitcher for each team. This is a huge adjustment from past years, and signficantly changes the league. Most teams have lower budgets and will be looking for a lower cost player, often a Dominican or Venezuelan with single-A experience. Some will try to get a better player, and some just don't have the budget and will use their visa for someone cheaper with a more limited background. It will be interesting to see how this plays out this season and if the rule stays the same for next year. The biggest impact of the A2 change is a crowding out of Italian-American pitchers. In A2 a decent foreign player will not leave many innings over for others, and Italian-Americans with citizenship can only pitch in that same game as the foreigner (until they are considered fully Italian after their sixth season). A2 still has a bunch of room for Italian-American hitters, and it is a level that a college player eligible for citizenship can excel at. In A1 there is still a whole game that the Italian-Americans can pitch each week that the foreigners can't, so demand is still up. Each team can have one or two Italian-American hitters in the lineup (depending on how many foreign bats they have), so again we are talking about roughly 16 Italian-American hitters and 16 Italian-American pitchers in the whole league, which with solid returning players taking a lot of slots doesn't leave many options. Players interesting in playing in Italy should still email us at info@baseballitalia.com providing a little bit of their playing background, but most teams are pretty set for 2009, so it will likely be planning on getting early consideration for the 2010 season. We are not affiliated with any team, and don't have any part in the decision making process, so we try to just provide unbiased information to help players. Since we started we have helped dozens of players find their way to Italy, and hope we can help lots more share in the amazing experience.
Aggiunto alle 11:03 PM by Michael Etichette: Playing in Italy	Link 0 Commenti

Updated information about Playing in Italy

Playing in Italy 2009