By Gabriel Fidler.
The New York Mets have dipped into the European baseball market for the first time in a decade, signing Italian Matteo Marelli to a minor league contract. The right-handed pitcher becomes the sixth player from Italy currently under contract—including three from the country’s Under-18 European Championship title-winners—and, incredibly, the second member of Rovigo’s rotation to sign this year.
Marelli has appeared at the last two annual European Development Tournaments (EDT) in Barcelona and London, and it was the difference between the two that convinced the Mets to sign him. After hitting the mid-80s in 2024 at the EDT showcase at Farnham Park, Marelli had jumped to 94 by this spring, according to ESPN [link]. The young moundsman already throws five pitches, including a “kick change” he learned from social media.
“Today is an historic and exciting day for the New York Mets, as we proudly welcome Matteo Marelli to our organization,” remarked Rosario Chiovaro, Manager of International Scouting for the Mets, at the official signing ceremony [link]. “Matteo is the first European amateur to ever be signed by our franchise, and we could not be more excited about his future. We have followed Matteo closely over the past three years, and it is clear to us that he possesses the qualities to compete at the professional level.” [Note: Marelli is the first Italian signed by the Mets, not the first European. For the full list, see below.]
The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder only discovered baseball by fluke, winning a week at Senago’s summer camp in a school lottery as a child and falling in love immediately. Marelli made his Serie A debut in 2022 at only 16, posting solid numbers as a long reliever and occasional starter.
After the 2023 campaign, he transferred to Itas Mutua Rovigo, where he became rotation mates with recent Blue Jays’ signee Giacomo Taschin [link]. The switch saw immediate dividends, as he went 4-2 with a 4.08 ERA in 15 games, five starts, punching out 46 in 46.1 innings with only 33 hits allowed. This year, he has moved into the rotation full-time, posting a 4-2 record and a 3.75 ERA in 10 games, whiffing 59 in 48 frames, and walking 25, by far the best rate of his career. All told across his career, despite only turning 19 in February, he has a 4.80 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 159.1 innings, with 108 walks and 158 strikeouts.
Along the way, Marelli has had success at the junior level, winning the 2024 Under-18 Italian Championship for Rovigo, earning a second gold medal last summer with the national team at the U18 Euros. In the latter competition, he teamed with Taschin once more, along with fresh Phillies’ signing Filippo Sabatini [link]. The righty earned two starts, sending seven Austrians down on strikes in four shutout innings in his first start, running into trouble in his next appearance against Great Britain.
A year prior, despite being only 17, Marelli was tabbed for a start in the Under-23 European Championship, striking out two in an inning and one-third. In 2021, he appeared at the Under-15 continental competition, tossing two shutout innings with three strikeouts, no hits, and one walk against Slovakia, giving up four to France with four Ks in a pair of frames in second start.
In signing Marelli for $10,000, the Mets took him away from a scholarship to Arizona Western College. The trilingual (Italian, English, and Spanish) teenager left for the Dominican on July 9 and has already made his debut for the Dominican Summer League’s (DSL) Mets Orange squad. The plan is for him to pitch in the DSL until the end of August, when he will rejoin Rovigo for the playoff run. In October, he will return to North America for New York’s Instructional League.
“I am overjoyed by what happened today,” noted Marelli after signing his first contract. “It took me a while to realize it was all true. I am very excited for what awaits me and I cannot wait to get started.”
Chiovaro added further remarks of interest to European readers.
“This signing also has a special importance for me on a personal level. Being the son of an Italian immigrant, having the opportunity to contribute to the growth of baseball in Italy and to bring talent like Matteo into professional baseball is extremely exciting and a source of great pride. It is a demonstration of how much our sport has grown internationally and how promising the future of European baseball is.”
A related comment from Anthony DiComo in his MLB.com article [link] on Marelli’s signing adds further interest to Chiovaro’s point about the Mets’ expansion to the European market, and hints at more to come:
“With their recent investments in international infrastructure, however, the Mets have more resources than ever to commit to the scouting of such players.”
The other European players that the Mets have signed directly from the continent are Tjerk Hogervorst (2007, though he never appeared in the minors), Thomas de Wolf (2008), Kai Gronauer (2008), Rien Vernooij (2008, also known as Marinus Vernooij), Björn Hato (2009), Kevin Weijgertse (2009), and Shervyen Newton (2015). The Mets also drafted Caspar van Rijnbach (known as “Cap van Rynbach” in the U.S.) in 1990.
Italians currently under contract with MLB organizations include Sam Aldegheri, who has made two spot starts with the Angels thus far this season, along with Alessandro Ercolani, Filippo Sabatini, Giacomo Taschin, and Williams Wong.
Quotes from Chiovaro and Marelli translated by author.
Note from the Editor: Reader Christian W’Stein pointed out after publication that the Mets had previously signed Kai Gronauer, while Mischa Gelman added Thomas de Wolf, Björn Hato, Tjerk Hogervorst, and Kevin Weijgerste to the list. The author added Shervyen Newton and Rien Vernooij. The story has been amended to reflect these facts.