Baseball Italia

Liddi doubles in MLB Spring Training debut

2010-03-08T20:33:17Z

Following in the footsteps of pitcher Alessandro Maestri who debuted in a Major League Spring Training game last march, Italian Alex Liddi became the first Italian born hitter to play along side Major Leaguers. Playing for the Seattle Mariners, Liddi entered the game against the Padres replacing Eric Byrnes in the lineup and playing third base. Liddi finished the game 1 for 2 with a double and a run scored!

After a rainout on Sunday, Liddi returned to the field with the Major League team on Monday against the Brewers, in a game broadcast throughout the world on MLB.tv. He entered the game to play third base in the sixth inning. In his first at bat he struck out against established star reliever LaTroy Hawkins on a high fastball. With two outs in the ninth inning he got a second at bat, and after falling behind 0-2 he battled back to 2-2 before sending a high fastball deep to the warning track in left center for the game's final out, missing a homerun by only a few feet.

Congratulations to Alex, recently ranked as the Mariner's #4 prospect, and we hope to see him continue his race with Maestri to be the first Italian in the Majors after his dominating season in single-A last year.

New IBL Franchise details begin to emerge

2009-12-07T13:58:17Z

The 2010 season will bring some major changes to the league structure, and while not all the details have been decided, many of the changes are begining to become clear.

The eight team Italian Baseball League (IBL) will remain very similar, with each team likely getting one fewer foreign player, and each team likely required to field one additional Italian raised player (ASI). Sicilian club Paterno' will replace relegated Reggio Emilia in the league, which will be the last promotion from A2. In 2010 the IBL will be separate from the old A2 (now known as Serie A Federale or just Serie A) and teams will no longer move between the levels based on their results. One of the games each week will be pitched by ASI players, but it appears likely that rather than being fixed, each team will be able to choose which game.

Each IBL team will have a franchise team for the 2010 season which will compete in a parallel 8 team second division (IBL2). The IBL2 teams will need to field 3 young players at all times, and players will be able to move between the IBL and the IBL2 team week to week, allowing the league to function as a true minor league. Initial IBL2 teams appear to be Livorno (Grosseto), Junior Parma (Parma), Castenaso (Bologna), and Nettuno 2 (Nettuno), while the remaining four teams are uncertain.

The new Federal Serie A will have 16 teams instead of 20, and will remain largely the same as in 2009, allowing one foreign pitcher and requiring the other game have only Italian pitchers.

The B level will remain unchanged, and the C1 and C2 levels will be combined into a single Serie C.

More details should emerge in the coming weeks after the clubs for each level have separate meetings to discuss final details.

Liverziani suspended for two years

2009-12-07T13:48:03Z

Italian legend Claudio Liverziani was suspended for two seasons as the result of testing positive for stimulants in a 2009 anti-doping test.

The Bologna star hitter and MVP of the 2009 finals will be sorely missed by both his club and the league in general, and there is some hope of appeal given his examplar track record and long series of negative tests.

The blow is significant for Bologna who under their newly elected president Stefano Michelini will begin a new cycle, losing also retired captain Daniele Frignani, foreign slugger Richard Austin, and likely Giovanni Pantaleoni (to San Marino). With their current financial situation it is unlikely Bologna will be able to replace the combined impact of those four players, but the always resilient franchise will likely make some moves to continue to compete as the roster gets younger.

Italy comes within one out of beating Cuba

2009-09-05T20:27:15Z

The Italian National Team came within one out of beating super power Cuba for the first time ever during the Italian Baseball Week tournament. Italy settled for a 1-1 tie as extra innings are not allowed in the tournament to save pitching staffs for the upcoming World Championships.

Italy was held to just three hits, but scored a run in the 5th inning as veteran Filippo Crociati singled in Rimini teammate Lorenza Avagnina. Having obtained 26 of the 27 outs necessary for an history shutout victory, Italy gave up a two out pinch hit single followed by a hit batter. After Ularetti relieved Schiavone the game tying hit just eluded a diving Imperiali, and when Italy was unable to score in the bottom of the inning, they had to settle for a tie.

Updated information about Playing in Italy

2009-09-05T01:16:59Z

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.

Liddi reaches 100 RBI milestone

2009-09-04T21:32:16Z

Italian product Alex Liddi reached the amazing milestone of 100 RBI with a 2 for 3, 2 RBI performance in a September 2nd win against Lancaster. Liddi is currently batting .348 with 23 HR, 101 RBI, and an amazing 1.016 OPS. While the California League is known as a hitters league, those numbers are amazing in any league.

Liddi turned 21 two weeks ago, so if he holds on for another week he can celebrate the league batting title with some champagne (he has a 7 point lead over Roger Clemens' son Koby), and he ranks 3rd in RBI, and 4th in HR and 2nd in OPS.

It would seem very likely that Liddi will start next season as the first Italian born hitter in double-A, and the take another step in his race with Alessandro Maestri to be the first Italian in the Major Leagues.

Bologna wins 2009 IBL Championship

2009-08-21T14:08:20Z

Bologna dominated defending champion San Marino to win the 2009 Italian Baseball League championship, the clubs 8th championship.

After taking a 2-1 series lead in three low scoring close games, the Bologna offense exploded in the final two games in San Marino, scoring 17 and 16 runs respectively and leaving no doubt about the top team this year.

Bologna tried to play the underdog card due to financial troubles throughout the season, but the team was consistently one of the top performers at every level, and specifically with an explosive offense full of stars all of whom shined when it counted most.

Claudio Liverziani was names series MVP hitting .571 with six RBIs and 7 runs scored. Richard Austin hit .471 with two home runs and Eddy Garabito hit three homeruns as well. Fabio Betto pitched seven dominant innings in his game 3 win, and Yulmann Ribiero picked up the win in the clinching game on three days rest.

San Marino has a stunning comeback, while Rimini keeps rolling

2009-07-29T18:07:07Z

Just when it seemed like we were marching to an inevitable Rimini-Bologna finals, San Marino mounted one of the most stunning playoff comebacks ever to keep things exciting in week 2 of the playoffs.

Bologna built a 9-0 lead in San Marino behind two home runs by Richard Austin, but after Betto gave up three runs in the fifth and turned the ball over to the bullpen in the seventh, things collapsed as the high powered San Marino offence rolled over relievers Norrito and Milano for three runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth to take a 10-9 lead. Despite the early offensive explosion, Bologna was held scoreless over the final five innings by Pedro Orta and Mauro Schiavone. In the late outburst David Sheldon had a two run homer, Duran drove in four runs, and De Biase had the bases loaded single to take the lead.

The win pulled San Marino even with Bologna for the second spot in the finals at 2-2 with five games left in the round robin series, as the teams shift to Bologna Friday and Saturday nights.

Meanwhile in Bologna, Rimini continued to roll, building a quick 4-0 lead against Parma starter Corradini, and holding on for an easy 6-2 win. Rimini pitchers Patrone and Quattrini yielded 12 hits in the end, but only walked one and managed to escape trouble as Parma failed to come up with the big hit in numerous situations. The win moved Rimini to 3-1 and dropped Parma to 1-3, with the teams continuing the series in Rimini where Parma will face Rimini ace Garcia in what has become a must win game.

Bologna and Rimini take playoff lead

2009-07-27T18:01:40Z

Three games into the nine game round robin semi-final of the Italian Baseball League, and the top two teams from the regular season Rimini and Bologna lead 2-1 over San Marino and Parma respectively.

Both San Marino and Parma took the early advantage in the first games at home, but as the series shifted back to the home field of the higher seeds things changed. Most notable was Bologna's offensive explosion following their loss with 22 and 12 run performances. Rimini instead did it with pitching winning 2-0 and 3-1.

In the second week series starting on Wednesday, San Marino hosts Bologna and Parma hosts Rimini.

After the nine games are completed on August 8th, the top two teams advance to the best of seven finals to determine the IBL champion.

Maestri in Triple-A

2009-07-27T17:55:36Z

The Chicago Cubs promoted right handed reliever Alessandro Maestri to Triple-A Iowa in an historical first for an Italian raised player. Maestri had already become the first Italian product in Double-A where he was 3-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 54K in 62.2 innings, and continues to blaze uncharted territory as he competes with Mariners farmhand Alessandro Liddi (.348, 20HR in Single-A) to be the first Italian to realize the ultimate baseball dream of playing in the Major Leagues.

The move was after another pitcher was called up from Iowa after All-Star Ted Lilly went on the disabled list, so hopefully Maestri can prove he belongs for the rest of the year.

You can follow Maestri's season on the site of the Iowa Cubs

Godo stuns Parma again to send Reggio Emilia to A2

2009-07-17T16:50:13Z

Godo scored 5 runs in the second inning against a Parma team that seemed more intent on setting up its playoff rotation than winning baseball games, and cruised to an 8-1 win. Along with Godo's Thursday win and Reggio's loss on Friday in Nettuno, Godo clinched a place in the 2010 IBL with one game to go in the 2009 season, making up two games on Reggio in 27 hours, and making tomorrow's final games of the season unimportant.

This marks Reggio Emilia's third one year stint in the top level in the last seven years, after a 2003 debut and a 2005 team that saved themselves but dropped after the season for financial reasons.

In other playoff tune ups San Marino topped a young Grosseto team which started a number of prospects over veterans, and Rimini scored double digits against Bologna to pull into first place with one game to play.

Alex Liddi hits third in the MLB Futures game

2009-07-15T18:15:39Z

Italian third baseman Alessandro Liddi followed up his single-A all star appearance with a trip to St. Louis to play for the World team in the MLB Futures game. Liddi hit third in the starting lineup adn went hitless but scored a run.

Liddi continues to shine at the plate in advanced single-A High Desert for the Seattle Mariners organization and continues his race with Cubs double-A pitcher Alessandro Maestri to be the first Italian product to make it to the Major Leagues.

Good Luck Alex!

Playoff picture is clear heading into the final weekend

2009-07-15T18:12:28Z

Heading into the final week of the regular season, the playoff picture is clear and the only story lines are playoff seeding and the battle for last place.

Bologna holds a one game lead over Rimini for the top playoff seed, and San Marino holds a one game edge over Parma for the third and fourth seeds.

After a devestating sweep in San Marino, Nettuno was eliminated from the playoffs a full week early and is locked into fifth place four games ahead of Grosseto which has been steadily in sixth place all season.

The real excitement is at the bottom where Godo upset Rimini last week to pull even with Reggio Emilia to avoid relegation to A2. Reggio Emilia holds the tie breaker so Godo has to do one better than their rivals in the final weekend series to stay in A1.

Reggio Emilia heads to Nettuno where they have never one, but will face a down Nettuno team who misses the playoffs for the first time in five years, and might not be at full strength or concentration.

Meanwhile Godo plays Parma who still hopes for the third playoff seed and to stay sharp, but who will be more worried about preparing for the playoffs and lining up their pitchers.

And our playoff coverage begins next week!

Rimini stays on top as week 2 restores competitive balance

2009-04-24T07:32:55Z

Week 2 of the Italian Baseball League season tightened up the standings after the season opened with a number of sweeps, but Rimini remained on top and continues to appear to be the strongest team in the league after missing the playoffs in recent years.

Rimini dropped their first game of the season against Parma to open the series, in a close foreigner game decided in the 8th and 9th innings as each team's relievers struggled. Rimini rebounded to take the next two games in the series and stay on top, and slugger Rios continued with his power display to emerge as an early favorite for the leagues top player.

Nettuno dropped two games to Bologna, and the loss of Richetti emerged as a potentially major issue for the preseason favorite as Giovanni Carrera struggled, and after a series opening win, Nettuno was dominated in the final two games of the series. Bologna showed some life and a strong and balanced team, despite losing some key players from last season's first place finishing team.

San Marino was shocked twice by Godo. After dominating the foreigner game when Godo's only foreign pitcher was scratched with an injury, the defending champions wasted a strong performance from Da Silva with an 8th inning bullpen melt down, and then dropped game 3 as well as the Italian pitching rotation appeared to be the team's weak spot as it was throughout their 2008 championship run.

Grosseto rebounded from their tough opening week behind strong pitching to keep Reggio Emilia without a win this year. Juan Figeroa was brilliant in handing Abe Alvarez his second straight 1-0 loss, and the Reggio offense was unable to put together anything all weekend, scoring only twice. Reggio has been very competitive in each of their six losses, and if the ball starts bouncing their way could be much more dangerous than their current record indicates.

Week 3 should provide even more clarity for the season, as the top two teams meet in a historical rematch between Rimini and Nettuno, while the bottom two teams Godo and Reggio Emilia meet with the loser being in a tough position. San Marino and Bolonga square off and Grosseto hosts Parma in a week that could see significant movement in the standings.

Italian Baseball League openers have few surprises

2009-04-13T06:14:12Z

Easter weekend marked the start of the Italian Baseball League regular season, and the opening weekend had few surprises despite lots of excitement.

Defending champion San Marino swept newly promoted Reggio Emilia, but the series was much closer than the end result, with all three games decided by one run, starting with the nationally televised opener finishing 1-0, and ending with a San Marino rally capped by a Di Biase walk off homer in the ninth and a 10-9 win despite a 7 RBI performance by Jake Blalock.

In the most closely battled series, Parma dropped the opener in Bologna and then won the next two games at home. Matos dominated the opener striking out 10 in seven innings, but when the series moved to Parma, the Parma offense was too much for the Bolognesi pitching.

Nettuno swept Godo despite receiving a scare in game 2 and needing a late rally, and despite losing star pitcher Carlos Richetti early in game 3 to an unknown arm injury. Juan Camilo and Abraham Nunez had seven hits each for Nettuno in the series.

Rimini hit six homeruns and relied on exceptional pitching and a perfect defense to sweep Grosseto. Mario Chiarini hit a key grand slam to break a tie in the opener.

Bologna-Nettuno and Parma-Rimini highlight the upcoming second weekend which will also feature San Marino-Godo and Reggio Emilia-Grosseto.

Maestri makes Major League debut in spring training

2009-04-02T16:04:28Z

Cubs prospect Alessandro Maestri, who this season is likely to become the first Italian born player to play in double-A got a chance to play with the Cubs Major League team in the final week of spring training, pitching a scoreless inning Wednesday against the Oakland A's.

Maestri came in to pitch the fifth inning in a game that Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano started.

Ale struck out Orlando Cabrera looking, allowed a ground ball single to Jason Giambi, and then struck out Matt Holliday and Eric Chavez for what will clearly be a memory that will last the young Italian righthander his whole life, and earning a handshake and compliments from Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

We hope to see Maestri back with the big club for good some time in the next year or two!

2009 Italian Baseball League Preview

2009-04-01T12:48:34Z

Just eight days until the 2009 Italian Baseball League schedule opens with newly promoted Reggio Emilia hosting defending champion San Marino next Thursday, one day before the rest of the teams start their season.

The offseason has had a lot of changes among the teams, and promises to deliver an action packed season with more balance and uncertainty than ever before.

Starting at the bottom, newly promoted Reggio Emilia has put together a very interesting team, backed by some star foreign pitchers including Abe Alvarez and a great defense, the team should be much stronger than the Redipuglia team they replace. On paper the team appears to be the strongest newly promoted team seen in recent years, and no opponent will want to take them lightly.

Godo struggled last year, but managed to distance themselves from last place Redipuglia in the head to head matches. But Godo has improved their team significantly with strong foreigners with Major League experience, including Pete Rose Jr, and the veteran addition to their bullpen of Roberto Cabalisti.

Ten time champion Rimini missed the playoffs for the second straight year last season, but has reloaded with an eye toward returning to the top right away. The biggest news is the return of Mazzotti as manager ten years after he last managed the team. The team has made some key acquisitions on the field as well, and should be one of the most improved teams.

Parma looks to return to the playoff picture with some significant roster turnover. Most significant is the addition of superstar second baseman Davide Dallospedale, starter in the recent World Baseball Classic. Their are some question marks on the pitching staff, but the talent and depth to excel if some of those players come through, and Parma should be considered a definite contender.

Grosseto looks to rebuild competitively despite some budget issues. New manager Mario Labastidas can count on a competitive roster despite the key loss of Dallospadale to Parma, and while lacking depth, the team has many of the key pieces that have managed two championships in the last five years. If ace Riccardo De Santis can return from elbow surgery for the playoff stretch, the team could be very dangerous.

Bologna dominated the last regular season before struggling in the playoffs, and returns much of the team that was so strong last season. Several question marks swirl as star slugger Richard Austin likely will not fit into the Bologna budget, but the team has too much talent, depth, and experience to not be a force in the 2009 season.

Perennial power Nettuno looks to finally return to the top after losing a heart breaking game 7 of the finals and come up 1 game short of a championship. They likely start the 2009 season as the strongest and most balanced team, and seem a lock for a playoff appearance. It will depend on how their foreign pitchers perform (they lost all three foreign pitched games in the finals to San Marino last season) to see if they can find a way to be one game better than they were last year.

First time champion San Marino, the cinderella of 2008, has few changes to a team that exceeded all expectations last season. After sneaking into the playoffs last season in the final weeks, their foreign pitching and veteran lineup carried them all the way. Their Italian pitchers struggled in 2008 despite the team success, and their performance in 2009 could be the key to continued success.

We hope everyone is looking forward to an exciting 2009 season, which in terms of talent, fan interest, and competitive balance could be the best season to follow in a long time.

Playing in Italy 2009

2009-03-14T23:00:41Z

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.

World Baseball Classic

2009-03-14T22:44:20Z

Alas, despite the shocker against a very good team Canada, Italy lost twice to Venezuela and headed home, while watching rival Netherlands be the cinderella and advance to Miami.

It was terrific to see the Italian-born players on the field and playing well after the disappointing 2006 where even the top Italians saw almost no playing time. Marco Mazzieri has done an amazing job. The win against Canada happened with four Italians in the starting lineup: Dallospedale, Chiarini, Mazzanti, and Liddi. It was great to see Zileri, Corradini, De Santis, Panerati, and Maestri all on the field during the three games as well. These players proved how Italy can compete, and I think that had they given the same exposure to the best Italian players three years ago it would have been a much better result.

Is anybody else getting excited for 2013? All of the above players will still be in there prime, and a new generation of players should contribute. I don't think anybody wants to kick the beloved Mike Piazza and other great players out of the Italy uniform, but seeing Italian born players make up around 50% of innings and at bats would be terrific.

I will be covering round 2 in San Diego for Italian language Baseball.it, our long time friends, and will also be covering the finals in Los Angeles. This site is about Italian baseball, so I won't be posting much here, but there will be relevant updates and interesting details along the way.

Baseball Italia v. 2

2009-03-14T22:40:46Z

After BaseballItalia.com has remained dormant for much too long, we are working to revamp the site and will have lots of changes in the coming weeks as the World Baseball Classic wraps up and Italy gets ready for the 2009 season.

Check back with us soon, and we appreciate your comments and feedback in the process!