Monday,
November 24, 2008
The
ANNOTICO Report
The
Italian National Baseball Team is considered to be one of the strongest in
However, in
2008, the Italians did not make it out of the first round of play. As a result Marco Mazzieri,
who was manager of the Italian national team in 2007, will replace Matt Galante,
the manager in 2008.
The
Italian team may include several
The
Italian national baseball team is considered to be one of the strongest in
World Baseball
Classic success, however, eluded
In 2009, Italy
will have a new manager -- Marco Mazzieri, who became
manager of the Italian national team in 2007, will replace Matt Galante -- and a new chance to make a name for itself on
the international stage.
Though
Rangers utilityman
Frank Catalanotto, for one, wants in again.
"I thought
it was great," said Catalanotto, who went
4-for-11 with a team-high three RBIs in 2006. "Most of the guys I played
with didn't speak much English, and it was great getting to know them."
Angels catcher Mike Napoli,
Angels reliever Justin Speier, Astros first baseman
Mark Saccomanno, free-agent catcher Paul Lo Duca and free-agent lefty reliever Mike Gallo are also
among those being considered by Mazzieri for the
Classic club.
Rays outfielder
Justin Ruggiano, who played for the
"If they
wanted me on the
One player who
has already turned down the opportunity to compete is Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
"I'll
probably be fighting for a job in Spring Training," Saltalamacchia
said. "Getting a job is a little more important."
The sport of
baseball has only gained importance in
But though
In the 2009
Look for quite a
few members of the 2007 Italian World Cup team to participate in the Classic,
including first baseman and designated hitter Maximiliano
De Biase, who recently drove in 10 runs in seven
games to help
Possible Team |
||||
Position |
Name |
|
|
|
C |
Luis De Camargo |
|
|
|
C |
Paul Lo Duca |
|
|
|
INF |
Davide Dallospedale |
|
|
|
INF |
Maximiliano De Biase |
|
|
|
INF |
Alex Liddi |
|
|
|
INF |
Giuseppe Mazzanti |
|
|
|
INF |
Mark Saccomanno |
|
|
|
INF |
Jack Santora |
|
|
|
OF |
Frank Catalanotto |
|
|
|
OF |
Mario Chiarini |
|
|
|
OF |
Justin Ruggiano |
|
|
|
OF |
Leonardo Zileri |
|
|
|
P |
Phil Barzilla |
|
|
|
P |
Cody Cillo |
|
|
|
P |
Chris Cooper |
|
|
|
P |
Anthony Fiore |
|
|
|
P |
Jason Grilli |
|
|
|
P |
Alessandro Maestri |
|
|
|
P |
Sandy Patrone |
|
|
|
P |
Justin Speier |
|
|
|
Anthony Castrovince
is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major
League Baseball or its clubs.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081123&content_id=3689880&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
The
ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (With Archives) on
Italia