After months of uncertainty around the sponsorship of Monte dei Paschi for the GROSSETO ORIOLES, president Claudio Banchi and the rest of the front office of the Italian Baseball League club held their annual season opening press conference last Saturday. After the departures from infielder Davide Dallospedale and outfielder Lorenzo Avagnina to PARMA, respective RIMINI in recent weeks, they finally announced the first two signings for the upcoming season.
Juan Figueroa and James Vermilyea are supposed to strengthen the pitching staff in 2009. The 33-year-old Dominican right-hander Figueroa is in Italy since 2005 and played for SAN MARINO the past three seasons, though he missed most of the 2008 campaign due to an injury.
Vermilyea is 27 years old and from Tucson, Arizona. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003 and made his big league debut after five years of Minor League ball in 2007, appearing in two games as a reliever. In 2008 he pitched for the Double-A team of the Blue Jays in New Hampshire, going 3-3 with an ERA of 7.55 in 39 1/3 innings over 20 games. Overall Vermilyea has a 24-14 record and an ERA of 3.66 in 175 minor league games (41 starts), striking out 359 (130 walks) in 479 2/3 innings. The two new BBC hurlers are supposed to replace Lincoln Mikkelsen in the foreign starter job.
The team also locked up Jairo Ramos and Jorge Nunez for 2009 and they are currently trying to fill in a fourth foreign spot on the roster with Raul Marval or Kelly Ramos. Additionally they are not sure, if they can hold on to pitcher Chris Cooper, who impressed scouts during the World Baseball Classic. Yovany D’Amico is expected to be back. The ORIOLES also confirmed Filippo Attriti, Paulo Riccucci and Giacomo Falciani to be part of the club.
During the press conference they also talked about the decision of a CONI arbitration panel that GROSSETO has to pay 30,000 Euros in compensation to their former manager Mauro Mazzotti, after firing him midway through the playoffs last summer, shortly after agreeing to a long term extension. However the last word isn’t spoken in this case, as president Banchi apparently has asked the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation (FIBS), if he is allowed to appeal the ruling in front of a civil court.
Photos by FIBS (Bottom: (c) Enrico Bartolacci)
