The World Baseball Classic is set to begin on March 8th and will finish up on March 21st in Miami, FL. The World Baseball Classic, recognized by the WBSC as a Baseball World Championship, is entering its fifth edition. This year, for the first time, there will be 20 nations competing for first place: 10 from the Americas; four from Asia; one from Oceania; and five from Europe.
Team Italy and the Azzurri will be spearheaded by manager Mike Piazza, who has already participated in an international tourney. Under his guidance, the Azzurri won a bronze medal at the 2021 European Baseball Championship. Team Italy is made up of 30 skilled athletes, all of which have Italian origins. The roster includes a mix of young prospects and professional baseball veterans.
These are the Azzurri’s first games:
March 9: Italy vs Cuba ( 6 a.m. ET)
March 10: Italy vs Chinese Taipei ( 6 a.m. ET)
March 11: Italy vs Panama (11 p.m. ET)
March 12: Italy vs the Netherlands ( 6 a.m. ET)
Team USA is the defending World Baseball Classic champion after defeating Puerto Rico in the 2017 WBC final. The Dominican Republic won in 2013, and Japan won twice in 2006 and 2009.
Take a look below at the full Team Italy roster. Information has been sourced from the Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball.
No. | Name | Position | Club Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
DPP | Vincenzo Aiello | RHP | Free Agent |
DPP | Glenn Steven Albanese | RHP | Rocket City Trash Pandas (AA) |
DPP | Alex Bassani | RHP | Fortitudo Bologna |
1 | Joseph Carlo Biagini | RHP | Free Agent |
DPP | Matteo Bocchi | RHP | Parma Clima |
2 | Ryan Michael Castellani | RHP | Free Agent |
DPP | Tiago Felipe Da Silva | RHP | San Marino |
3 | Benjamin Amadeo Deluzio | OF | Chicago Cubs |
DPP | Alessandro Ercolani | RHP | FCL Pirates |
4 | Nicholas Fanti | LHP | Free Agent |
5 | Matthew Joseph Festa | RHP | Seattle Mariners |
6 | David Owen Fletcher | IF | Los Angeles Angels |
7 | Dominic Paul Fletcher | OF | Reno Aces (AAA) |
8 | Salvatore Michael Frelick | OF | Nashville Sounds (AA) |
9 | Vito Joseph Friscia | C/OF | Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (AAA) |
10 | Robel Estiwal | IF | Free Agent |
11 | Samuel Joseph Gaviglio | RHP | Free Agent |
12 | Matthew Harvey | RHP | Free Agent |
13 | Joseph Peter Lasorsa | LHP | Montgomery Biscuits (AA) |
14 | Nicholas Paul Lopez | IF | Kansas City Royals |
15 | Braxton Lorenzini | RHP | Free Agent |
16 | Joseph Marciano | LHP | Sacramento River Cats (AAA) |
DPP | Brian Marconi | LHP | Philadelphia Phillies (AAA) |
17 | Miles Mastrobuoni | IF/OF | Chicago Cubs (AAA) |
18 | Alberto Mineo | C | Parma Clima |
19 | Dominic Miroglio | C | Reno Aces (AAA) |
20 | Michael Nittoli | RHP | Chicago Cubs |
21 | Neil Pallante | RHP | St. Louis Cardinals |
22 | Vincent Pasquantino | IF | Kansas City Royals |
DPP | Jeffery Passantino | RHP | Altoona Curve (AA) |
23 | Nicolo Pinazzi | LHP | Daytona Tortugas (A) |
24 | Claudio Scotti | RHP | St Lucie Mets (AA) |
25 | Mitchell Stumpo | RHP | Reno Aces (AAA) |
26 | Brett Sullivan | C | El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA) |
27 | Vincent Timpanelli | RHP | Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) |
28 | John Marcos Valente | IF | Toledo Mud Hens (AAA) |
29 | Michele Vassalotti | RHP | Biloxi Shuckers (AA) |
30 | Stephen Woods | RHP | Free Agent |
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura,The Christian Science Monitor and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.