Two players born in Cuba will join the Italian Baseball League club Telemarket Rimini. Starting pitcher Enorbel Marquez-Ramirez and outfielder Laidel Chapelli were officially introduced by the club on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Enorbel Marquez-Ramirez came to Germany in 2004 and dominated the Baseball-Bundesliga since then, pitching for the Solingen Alligators. In 51 games the left-hander had a 42-6 record with an ERA of 1.22. He struck out 374 batters in 324 1/3 innings, while walking 72. In 2008 he had a perfect game against the Bonn Capitals. Marquez-Ramirez also was a member of the German national team in the 2007 European Championships, the last two Baseball World Cups and the Olympic Qualifier in 2008. During the major international tournaments he has a 5-3 record with an ERA of 1.92 in 51 2/3 innings for Germany.
Like Marquez-Ramirez, the 38-year-old Laidel Chapelli is playing in Europe since 2004. Thanks to his marriage he later also received an Italian passport. In 2004, 2007 and 2009 the outfielder played for Parma in the Italian Baseball League. In the in-between years he was a member of lower-division clubs in Veneto and Padua. In 2009 Chapelli batted .283 (OBP .354/SLG .375) with two homeruns, 17 runs scored and 27 RBI during the regular season. He has a career batting average in Italy of .292 (OBP .357/SLG .447) in 148 games. Rimini plans to use him in the outfield and as designated hitter.