Alex Maestri
| Alex Maestri | |
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| Chicago Cubs – No. -- | |
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Alessandro Maestri (born June 1, 1985 in Cesena, Italy) is a Minor league pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization who signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent on Jan. 6, 2006. The 5'11", 180 lb. right-hander is the first Italian-born pitcher to be signed by a Major League Baseball team.[1]
Chicago Cubs organization
Early in the 2007 season, Maestri's second season of professional ball with the Class A Peoria Chiefs, Maestri gave up seven runs in two innings against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. From that point on, he did not give up more than two runs in an appearance for the rest of the season, and converted his first seven save opportunities to earn himself a Midwest League All-Star nod.
His success in 2007 prompted the Cubs to try to convert Maestri into a starter. Thus, he began the 2008 season in the starting rotation of the Florida State League Class A advanced Daytona Cubs. In this role, he went 5-3 with a 3.69 ERA to again earn himself an All Star nod. Following the all star game, Maestri was promoted to the double A Southern League Tennessee Smokies. With the Smokies, Maestri made two starts in which he pitched 11 innings and gave up eight earned runs before shoulder soreness forced the Cubs to shut him down for the remainder of the season, and ended the Cubs' experiment with Maestri as a starter.[2]
Italy national team
Maestri was signed by Cubs scout Bill Holmberg, who also serves as pitching coach for the Italy national baseball team for whom Maestri pitched in both the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic. Maestri gave up one earned run in two appearances out of the bullpen in the 2006 WBC. In 2009, Maestri pitched 2.2 innings without giving up a run.[3]
References
- ^ "Minor League Baseball". Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ^ "Cubs' Maestri a rarity on Team Italy". Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ^ "World Baseball Classic Team Italy Page". Retrieved 2009-03-20.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)