(10 Feb) – There is talent in Italy, even in baseball. And some times this talent makes history. Alessandro Maestri was the first Italian born pitcher to be signed by a major league club, the Chicago Cubs. After that unforgettable experience, he landed in Australia to wear the colors of the Brisbane Bandits. Maestri missed the playoffs by a little, however collecting good performances that brought him to win the Australian Baseball League Fan Choice Award presented.
The Italian right-hander was an ideal candidate for the honor, as he took to social media in the form of his personal blog to rally support. A favorite among Italian and Australian fans alike, Maestri earned over 1100 votes.
The award is assigned every year through the votes of baseball fans on Facebook.
But Australia could be just a passage for Maestri, who has in mind something more “The level is
good, all teams have at least 3 or 4 players who serve in the American Minor Leagues. But playing in the Abl – he confessed – has opened up new perspectives. I will talk with Japanese scouts.
Now it’s up to me to decide what to do. I’ll try to make my mind clear in the next weeks. The choice will fall on the team where I’ll have more motivation to do well”. (Ram)
FROM RIMINI TO CHICAGO
Alessandro Maestri was born in Cesena in 1985 but has always lived in Viserba, Rimini. He moved the
first steps into baseball with Torre Pedrera, where he showed extraordinary athletic abilities. So in a few years he collected the first national cap, becoming one of the best Italian players ever. After a spell in San Marino, he signed with the Chicago Cubs in 2006, becoming the first Italian-born pitcher ever signed by a Major League Baseball team. He represented Italy in both the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics. From October 2011 he joined the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League for.
