April is the month of the real beginning at San Marino Baseball. Manager Doriano Bindi’s team welcomes some new faces in key roles and organizes friendly matches in the weeks preceding the official debut on the 26th with Macerata. On the Titan here is the new shortstop, Javier Lopez, and a young pitcher with Bundesliga experience. Christian Pedrol.
Javier Lopez will therefore play a key role in the successes of each team, the shortstop spot left uncovered by Erick Epifano, who retired. General manager Mauro Mazzotti played it safe by picking up a player who has already shown he can have a high performance in the Italian championship. Lopez, 30 years old in December, is of Dominican birth and with a Dutch passport and knows Serie A well having played there in recent seasons in Macerata with Hotsand. At the American minors level he moved to Rookie and Single A with the Marlins organization, then landed in Macerata with the last three years always very productive in the batter’s box. 327 average in 2021, 454 in 2022, 343 in 2023, consistently with good speed on the bases and excellent percentages on steals.
The pitcher, Pedrol, is also an EU citizen with a German passport (but Brazilian origins). For him, a class of 2000 linked to the Seattle Mariners organization, also an appearance in Triple A in 2019 in addition to championships in Rookie and Single A and the Nicaraguan Winter League in 2022-2023. Christian Pedrol knows Europe having played in Germany with the Buchbinder Legionäre Regensburg, with whom he was one of the best pitchers in the Bundesliga. In Regensburg he ended 2021 with 6 wins and 1 loss, 3.91 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 53 innings. Then 2022, with 8 wins and 0 losses, for a 2.12 average Era and 82 K in 72.1 innings. And finally 2023, in which he finished with 3 wins and 1 loss, for a 2.81 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 48 innings.
Before the official debut on April 26th, here are two home friendly tests for the Italian vice-champions. Saturday 13th April at 2.30pm with Godo, Saturday 20th at 2pm (two 7-inning games) with Macerata. Always at the Serravalle stadium.
2024-03-28 04:58:41
#Serie #baseball #San #Marino #warms #engines #confirmations #faces
