Latest news with #MatteoMarelli
Reuters
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Mets signing Italian teenager in franchise first
July 5 - The New York Mets are signing Italian pitcher Matteo Marelli, the first European amateur signing in team history. The 19-year-old right-hander was scheduled to have a signing ceremony on Saturday in Rovigo, Italy. "What I'm most proud about is the Mets are expanding their global footprint," Mets scout Rosario Chiovaro said, per the team's website. "I want the Mets to be a global brand." Chiovaro began scouting Marelli two years ago in Major League Baseball's European Development Tournament in London. When he saw Marelli again three months ago in the same tournament in Barcelona, his fastball had risen from the mid-80s to the mid-90s. The fastball is one of five distinct pitches in Marelli's arsenal, including a "kick change" he perfected by studying clips on social media. "It's easy to see when somebody's different from other people, from other players," said Francisco Cervelli, a longtime big-league catcher and current head coach of Italy's national teams, including Marelli's U-23 squad. "You see a future. It's a very interesting player. And the arm ... (Once he starts) training every day, you're going to see results very quickly." --Field Level Media
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mets sign Italian teen Matteo Marelli as franchise's first European amateur
The Mets have long scouted and signed international talent from across the globe, but it took quite some time for them to find a player from one particular continent. According to reports, the Mets signed their very first European prospect on Saturday, agreeing to an amateur contract with Italian teenager Matteo Marelli. Both sides made the deal official with a ceremony at a baseball field in Rovigo, a city in northern Italy. Advertisement Marelli, who turned 19 back in February, is a right-handed pitcher who competed at MLB's European Development Tournament (EDT) in the last two years. He was discovered by scout Rosario Chiovaro, who's the son of an Italian immigrant and worked for the Mets since 2020. 'I'm super proud to bring an Italian into the organization for the first time,' Chiovaro recently told Anthony DiComo of 'I hope that Matteo goes back and tells his teammates and tells his coach how well we treated him, and I think that can help the Mets moving forward -- just that we're going to have a global footprint and a global impact in more markets.' While he received a scholarship to pitch at Arizona Western College -- they don't compete at the Division I, II, or III level -- Marelli's deal with the Mets will reportedly send him to the Dominican Summer League. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, Marelli played for two teams across three seasons in the Italian Serie A league, logging a 5.15 ERA with 98 strikeouts across 108.1 innings (39 games). His velocity has also jumped from 88 mph to 94 mph over the last year, according to Chiovaro.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mets Make History With Signing on Friday
Mets Make History With Signing on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Mets are staying afloat in the NL East, but they could fall down the standings if they suffer any more pitching injuries. Advertisement Right-handed pitcher José Buttó (illness), right-hander Kodai Senga (hamstring), right-hander Tylor Megill (elbow), Dendiel Núñez (elbow), right-hander Paul Blackburn (shoulder), left-hander Brooks Riley (elbow), left-hander Sean Manaea (oblique), right-hander Griffin Canning (Achilles), right-hander Max Kranick (flexor), right-hander Drew Smith (elbow), left-hander A.J. Minter (lat), left-hander Danny Young (elbow), and right-hander Christian Scott (elbow) are on the IL. The Mets were forced to give rookie Justin Hagenman his first MLB start against the New York Yankees on Friday due to the injury bug. The club made a pitching signing on Friday that won't help it this season, but could in the future, via Anthony DiComo. New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) and pitcher Clay Holmes (35)© Thomas Shea-Imagn Images "This is cool: the Mets, for the first time in their history, are signing an amateur player from Europe," he reported. "Meet Italy's Matteo Marelli, who will formally join the Mets' farm system tomorrow." Advertisement Marelli is 5-10 with a 5.15 ERA over 39 career appearances in the Italian Baseball League, officially known as the Serie A. Marelli earned a scholarship to Arizona Western College, but he will instead go straight to the pros. The 19-year-old will begin his career in the Dominican Summer League. Meanwhile, the Mets will host the Yankees again on Saturday and Sunday before hitting the road to face the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals. After that, they'll return home to play the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels. Related: Mets' Carlos Mendoza Makes Opinion of Yankees Very Clear Related: Yankees' Aaron Boone Makes Unexpected Admission Before Mets Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
