The Italy of the World Baseball Classic is there. Mike Piazza has his 30 men, net of extra pitchers who will be usable later in the tournament should it be necessary. Returns, first times, men of experience: there is a bit of everything in this blue team that will head for Taichung.
This is the list of the 30 who will play the return event six years after the last time and which, in the past, has given the Italian front a significant number of thrills, satisfactions and hopes sometimes betrayed, sometimes not:
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DPP AIELLO VINCENZO RHP Right Right 06/08/94 FREE AGENT
DPP ALBANESE GLENN STEVEN RHP Right Right 10/22/98 ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS (AA)
DPP BASSANI ALEX RHP Right Right 11/25/90 FORTITUDO BOLOGNA
1 BIAGINI JOSEPH CARLO RHP Right Right 05/29/90 FREE AGENT
DPP BOCCHI MATTEO RHP Right Right 07/19/96 PARMA CLIMATE
2 CASTELLANI RYAN MICHAEL RHP Right Right 04/01/96 FREE AGENT
DPP DA SILVA RHP Right Right 03/28/85 SAN MARINO
3 DELUZIO BENJAMIN AMADEO OF Right Right 08/09/94 CHICAGO CUBS
DPP ERCOLANI ALESSANDRO RHP Right Right 04/20/04 FCL PIRATES (Rookie)
4 FANTI NICHOLAS LHP Left Left 12/30/96 FREE AGENT
5 FESTA MATTHEW JOSEPH RHP Right Right 03/11/93 SEATTLE MARINERS
6 FLETCHER DAVID OWEN IF Right Right 05/31/94 LOS ANGELES ANGELS
7 FLETCHER DOMINIC PAUL OF Left Right 09/02/97 RENO ACES (AAA)
8 FRELICK SALVATORE MICHAEL OF Left Right 04/19/00 NASHVILLE SOUNDS (AAA)
9 FRISCIA NAME JOSEPH C/OF Right Right 12/19/96 LEHIGH VALLEY IRON PIGS (AAA) .
10 GARCIA ROBEL ESTIWAL IF Switch Right 03/28/93 FREE AGENT
11 GAVIGLIO SAMUEL JOSEPH RHP Right Right 05/22/90 FREE AGENT
12 HARVEY MATTHEW EDWARD RHP Right Right 03/27/89 FREE AGENT
13 LASORSA JOSEPH PETER LHP Left Left 04/29/98 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (AA)
14 LOPEZ NICHOLAS PAUL IF Left Right 03/13/95 KANSAS CITY ROYALS
15 LORENZINI BRAXTON RYAN RHP Right Right 05/04/95 FREE AGENT
16 MARCIANO JOSEPH JAMES LHP Left Left 01/11/95 SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS (AAA)
DPP MARCONI BRIAN AUSTIN LHP Right Left 05/09/97 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (AAA)
17 MASTROBUONI MILES JAMES IF/OF Left Right 10/31/95 CHICAGO CUBS (AAA)
18 MINEO ALBERTO C Left Right 07/23/94 PARMA CLIMATE
19 MIROGLIO DOMINIC OKUN C Right Right 03/10/95 RENO ACES (AAA)
20 NITTOLI MICHAEL VINCENT RHP Right Right 11/11/90 CHICAGO CUBS
21 PALLANTE NEIL ANDRE RHP Right Right 09/18/98 ST LOUIS CARDINALS
22 PASQUANTINO VINCENT JOSEPH IF Left Left 10/10/97 KANSAS CITY ROYALS
DPP PASSANTINO JEFFREY RHP Right Right 09/24/95 ALTOONA CURVE (AA)
23 PINAZZI NICOLO’ LHP Left Left 10/25/99 DAYTONA TURTLES (A) .
24 SCOTTI CLAUDIO RHP Right Right 07/08/98 ST LUCIE METS (A)
25 STUMPO MITCHELL ANTHONY RHP Right Right 06/17/96 RENO ACES (AAA) .
26 SULLIVAN BRETT CHARLES C Left Right 02/22/94 EL PASO CHIHUAHUAS (AAA)
27 TIMPANELLI VINCENT THOMAS RHP Right Right 10/02/98 CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS (AA)
28 VALENTE JOHN MARCO IF Switch Right 06/23/95 TOLEDO MUD HENS (AAA)
29 VASSALOTTI MICHELE ANTONIO RHP Right Right 02/08/00 BILOXI SHUCKERS (AA)
30 WOODS STEPHEN HUGO RHP Right Right 06/10/95 FREE AGENT
Mike Piazza will be assisted by the bench coach Blake Buteradall’hitting coach Chris Denorfiadall’infield coach Jack Santoradal pitching coach Mike Borzellodall’outfield coach Michelle Geralidal bullpen coach Jason Simontacchi e dall’assistant hitting coach Joe Hsu. Some of these have already experienced the WBC with Italy (the thought goes above all to Denorfia, Piazza aside).
This is the calendar of the Italian training in Taichung: Thursday 9 March debut with Cuba, Friday 10 continuation with China Taipei (Taiwan’s sporting name), Saturday 11 match in Panama, Sunday 12 the very classic European match against the Netherlands. Three out of four games will be played at 12:00 Italian time, except Italy-Panama at 5:00. Four groups are scheduled: the first two of each pass. For Italy, the eventual second phase would be at the Tokyo Dome in the Japanese capital, where the first and second legs of groups A (Italy) and B will cross paths, while the same thing for C and B will be seen in Miami. The latter will be the venue for the semifinals and final, on 19 and 21 March.
Photo: LiveMedia/Claudio Benedetto – LivePhotoSport.it
