First youth Spring Training in Italy is a success for London Mets

by British Baseball Federation, www.britishbaseball.org

Over 20 London Mets youth players aged 13-16, plus coaches and parents, enjoyed four days of baseball in Nettuno, Italy over the recent half-term break. On the final day of the trip, the group was treated to a tour of Rome, visiting the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and the Coliseum.

The event was hosted by the historic Nettuno Baseball Club, active since 1945. Training and most games took place at the club’s 8,000-seat Stadio Steno Borghese complex, and the Mets were able to take advantage of the club’s indoor training facility, including pitching tunnels, a large artificial pitch and a batting cage with pitching machine.

Mets U14U Head Coach Pietro Sollecito said: “Besides the value to our pre-season preparation, I believe the trip served as an eye-opener in many respects. All those involved now know first-hand how close the club is (quite literally) to a very high level of baseball and baseball organisation. We may not be able to reproduce the Sistine Chapel, but London can and should aspire to creating the same type of environment for high-level baseball which we were fortunate to experience while in Nettuno and Rome.”

TRAINING AND GAMES

The Mets spent the first four days of the trip training in the morning for two or three hours and then, after breaking for lunch, spent the afternoons and early evenings playing games, both intra-squad and against local youth teams.

The Mets played exceptionally well against the local teams. Italy is traditionally one of the top baseball countries in Europe, with many locally-developed players having signed professional Major League Baseball contracts in the past. So the strong performance by the young Mets is a good indicator of the quality the club ha heading into the 2015 season.

MORE TRIPS

Following up on this visit, the Mets are working on putting together a reciprocal trip to London by the Nettuno club this summer. Post-trip survey results indicate that all participants found great value in the experience and would favour a return visit next year. In fact, the Mets hope to make this trip an annual offering to its membership.

16U Head Coach Erick Henson said: “This trip was invaluable to our preparation for the PONY Tournament in Prague this April and the rest of the 2015 season. In addition to quality reps and game experience, we were able to implement systems for managing the running game and defensive signs and tinker with line-ups, all in a great baseball environment. It was also valuable for the coaches as we were able to exchange training tips and strategic philosophies with the Nettuno coaches, three of whom are MLB scouts. We look forward to their visit to London this summer and our return to Nettuno next year.”