A few weeks ago, Mauro Mazzotti, who is also the manager of the Italian club Telemarket Rimini and the head of scouting in Europe for the Houston Astros organization, agreed on a two-year contract to manage the Spanish national team. Mister-Baseball asked a few questions about his new job.
Mister-Baseball: Congratulations to your new job as manager of the Spanish National Team. How did you get in contact with the Spanish Federation?
Mauro Mazzotti: It’s a long time that I’m in touch with the Spanish Federation. In the past I did clinics and courses for the local coaches, so we developed a kind of friendship that took us to this agreement.
MRBB: How much got Spanish Baseball better in recent years and will the new-founded Academy in Tenerife have an influence on the sport in the country?
MM: I think that Spain got better recently because the local players got better and because the management worked hard to find quality players around the world with Spanish passport. The mix helped to get closer to Italy and Holland.
The Academy in Tenerife is a very good thing, but in order to answer your question we’ll need to wait at least a couple of years.
MRBB: You are also the manager of the Italian Baseball League club Telemarket Rimini. How do you manage these two jobs? You’re probably reaching the playoffs with Rimini. Doesn’t this affect the preparation phase with the Spanish National Team?
MM: I go one or twice a month to Spain to scout the league and the players that we’re following. Plus I have Miguel Erroz, Candelario Diaz and Felix Cano that work for me as coaches and scouts, so we keep the whole league under control. Besides the Spanish League we have Spanish players in Italy and in the Minors in the US. So as you can see scouting and data base are kind of important in this part of the season.
My job in Rimini will not affect at all because the Spanish national team will get together on August 24, when the Italian Baseball League will be finished. Anyway I really hope to make it till the end with Rimini [ed. note: smiling].
MRBB: What is more important for the Spanish NT, the 2009 Baseball World Cup or the 2010 European Championships?
MM: Well both are kind of important even though we realize that the competition in the World Cup is way higher that the on in the Euro 2010.
MRBB: The Barcelona pool with Cuba, Puerto Rico and South Africa is a tough one. What are your chances for round number two?
MM: I think we have a chance to advance into round two. In our group only Cuba will be way stronger than the other teams.
MRBB: The season in the Spain ends at the beginning of August. What are your plans regarding the long break between the end of the league competition and the beginning of the BWC? Are there already exhibition games scheduled?
MM: As I told you here above we’ll start our work outs on August 24th and later we’ll play a five-game exhibition series against a alumni team of UCLA, which will travel to Spain at the beginning of September.
MRBB: How will you select the roster? You already mentioned that you will choose players from the Spanish and Italian league and the minors in the US. Will you rely solely on scouting reports by your coaching staff or do you also plan to travel to Spain for a few games? What do you think will the roster look much different in comparison to the 2007 World Cup and European Championship, respective the 2008 Olympic qualifier?
MM: I think most of the players will be confirmed, but it’s still early to say.
MRBB: Regarding the World Cup, do you think the European teams besides the Netherlands have a chance to surprise in the tournament? Which of the first round participants Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia and Great Britain are most likely to advance?
MM: Still I think it’s still too early to make a preview, but it seems that Germany and Great Britain improved a lot lately.
Mister-Baseball thanks Mauro Mazzotti that he was so kind to answer a few questions about his new job as manager of the Spanish National Team.