The Italian Baseball League club Telemarket Rimini has found a successor for the leaving Gustavo Martinez (Parma). The Pirates signed the right-handed reliever Alex Serrano, who is going to turn 29 on Thursday. The Venezuelan is looking back at a small cup of coffee in the Major Leagues, having pitched in one game in April 2008 for the Los Angeles Angels against the Kansas City Royals.
Besides that match, Serrano has spent the past ten years pitching in the United States and in Mexico. He started at the age of 18 with the Colorado Rockies in the Arizona Summer League and stayed with this organization until the summer of 2005, when he joined the Angels Double-A team. He remained with the club until his release following the 2008 season. He moved on to Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League, where he played last year.
In ten seasons Minor League ball, four in Triple-A, Serrano had an ERA of 3.48 and a WHIP of 1.25 in 299 games (two starts). He has struck out 339 batters in 414 1/3 innings, walking 85. He is throwing a Sinker and a Slider and his new manager Mauro Mazzotti hopes that Rimini will profit from his high strikeout totals and his good control according to Baseball.it.