Philly Leader

The Philadelphia Phillies are once again looking to Italy for promising international baseball talent. Filippo Sabatini, a right-handed pitcher, has been signed by the team as part of their continued efforts to tap into the Italian baseball scene. Sabatini has been an integral part of the Italian national team, having participated in various championships including the U12 Baseball World Cup and the U15 and U18 European Championships. His performance in these tournaments has been noteworthy, particularly his contribution to winning a gold medal for Italy.

Sabatini's signing follows that of Samuel Aldegheri in 2019, who was recognized as the first Italian-born pitcher in Major League history. Over two seasons in the Italian Baseball League, Sabatini achieved a strikeout rate of 12.4 per nine innings and maintained an ERA of 3.29.

In other international signings, Raudy Reyes, a right-handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic, has joined the Atlanta Braves with a signing bonus just under $1.8 million. Reyes is known for his impressive fastball speed of 102 mph at just 16 years old.

The Kansas City Royals have signed twin brothers Luis Ramón King and Luis Stiven King from the Dominican Republic. Trained by former MLB outfielder Alex Sánchez, both brothers bring distinct skills to their respective positions as outfielder and infielder.

Joseph Deng made history by becoming the first player born in South Sudan to sign a professional baseball contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The tall right-hander is noted for his pitching speed reaching up to 95 mph.

Other notable signings include Hansel Ramirez with the Texas Rangers and Armstrong Muhoozi with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ramirez follows in his father Hanley Ramirez’s footsteps with potential power at bat while Muhoozi represents growing interest in Ugandan baseball talent.

Robinson Smith joins the Pirates as well; he is notable not only for his skills but also due to his mother Nicole Livingstone's achievements as an Olympic swimmer for Australia.

Alex Rodriguez (not related to former MLB star Alex Rodriguez) has signed with Texas Rangers after moving from Cuba to train in the Dominican Republic.

These signings highlight Major League Baseball's diverse international recruitment efforts during this period.