Vitiello tapped for spot on Team Italy
Published on December 14th, 2005
STONEHAM, MA - Though he hasn't graced a Major League roster during the last two seasons, Stoneham native Joe Vitiello will be playing world class baseball this spring for the Italian National Team when he participates in the Inaugural World Baseball Classic to be held in early March spread across four distant locales. The 35-year-old former SHS and University of Alabama, who played for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos during a seven-year career was one of several current and recent Major League ballplayers of Italian heritage that have been targeted by Major League baseball as invitees to the first annual tournament.
Expected to play alongside Vitiello are All-Star catcher Mike Piazza, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Frank Catalanotto, Dave Dellucci, Mark DeRosa, Mike Gallo, Jason Grilli, recently traded Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli, Mike DeFelice, Tony Fiore, former Red Sox Matt Mantei, Frank Menechino.
San Diego Padres third basemen Joe Randa had indicated last summer that Vitiello - who he still remained close friends with his former Kansas City Royals teammate and remembered going out on boat rides in the harbor with Joe and his father during their trips to Boston -- was playing baseball in Italy last summer, and may have already been laying the groundwork to play for the National team.
Vitiello last played in the Majors during a successful 2003 campaign that saw hit. 342 with 3 homers and 13 RBI's in 32 games for the now-defunct Expos, and currently has career totals of 26 homers and 142 RBI's in 282 Major League games - while also boasting a career .303 batting average and 154 homers in 1020 career minor league games.
The Italian team will train in Lakeland, Fla., the Spring Training home of the Detroit Tigers, from March 3-6.
Italy's first game will be March 8 against Venezuela at 7 p.m. at Cracker Jack Stadium in the Disney complex in Orlando, Fla.
The manager of the Italian team will be determined at a later date.
The inaugural World Baseball Classic, a 16-team tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, will take place March 3-20 and feature the world's best players competing for their home countries and territories for the first time.
Sixty-man rosters must be submitted by each team on Jan. 17 with the ultimate 30-man rosters finalized 24 hours prior to the start of the tournament.
The final rosters must include a minimum of 13 pitchers and three catchers. Major League Baseball has committed to using 60 percent of Major League-affiliated players. All the players announced last week have the blessing of the Players Association and the MLB owners, who have collectively spent months in the culling process.
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