TEMPE, Ariz. – With two weeks remaining in spring training before the start of the 2025 Major League Baseball season, World Baseball Network visited the Cactus League to interview Italian-born left-hander Samuel Aldegheri about his expectations for the upcoming season and the 2026 World Baseball Classic with the Italian national team.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a young kid watching the 2017 WBC and seeing the talent that was on that team, even though falling short to Venezuela in the one-game playoff,” Aldegheri said to WBN. “This time around I’m excited to represent my country and looking forward to taking the field with them for next March.”
The 23-year-old from Verona, Italy, announced his commitment to Italy’s 2026 WBC roster on January 26 during an appearance on the Growing Up Italian podcast.
Italy will compete in Pool B at the 2026 WBC from March 6 to 11 at Daikin Park in Houston, facing Mexico, Great Britain, the United States, and a to-be-determined qualifier. Former MLB catcher and 2009 World Series champion Francisco Cervelli will manage the team. Tournament and MLB officials must still assign Colombia, Brazil, Nicaragua, and Chinese Taipei a pool.
“I’m happy that Cervelli can lead us to glory this time around alongside his experience with coaching in Italy at the academy level and him playing in the bigs,” Aldegheri said. “I’ve been in communication with him these past few months about my improvements with my mechanics alongside Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball president Marco Mazzieri about all my tactics I can work on during the 2025 season.”
Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) president Marco Mazzieri will evaluate the Italian national team over the next few months as he builds a roster for the 2026 WBC. The 2025 Serie A1 season begins on April 11, and Italy is set to send a team to the 2026 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela, alongside the Japan Breeze, South Korea, Cuba, and the winter league champions from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Venezuela, who will compete before the start of MLB spring training.
Italy’s WBC roster will also include most players signed with MLB organizations, including minor leaguers.
FIBS has yet to announce whether it will send an all-star team to the Caribbean Series or the winner of the 2025 Serie A1 season.
Samuel Aldegheri’s Journey to the Majors
Aldegheri is the second Italian-born player to reach Major League Baseball, following Alex Liddi, who debuted with the Seattle Mariners on September 7, 2011. Liddi recently retired from professional baseball after playing in Baseball United’s three-game series in the United Arab Emirates with the Mid-East Falcons.
“Italy is growing in baseball,” Aldegheri said. “I am excited to do my part and hopefully more people have a big following with our country developing in the sport during these next few years with the improvements we are trying to accomplish from FIBS.”
Aldegheri played in the Italian Baseball League Serie A1 Division for Parma Clima, appearing in nine games with one start from 2019-20. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies during the international signing period on July 2, 2019, for a $210,000 bonus.
With the 2020 minor league season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Aldegheri remained in Italy, as MLB organizations operated only alternate-site workouts.
In two seasons with Parma Clima, Aldegheri went 2-0 with a 4.66 ERA, pitching 9.2 innings while allowing nine hits, five earned runs, and nine walks and striking out 13. He did not allow a home run before making his professional debut in the United States in 2021.
Aldegheri split his first professional season in 2021 between the Rookie Complex League and Low-A Clearwater, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.57 ERA in eight appearances, including three starts. He pitched 21 innings, allowing 17 hits, six earned runs, 10 walks, and 32 strikeouts with a 1.286 WHIP before landing on the 7-day injured list on August 20 due to a left elbow injury, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Aldegheri began the 2022 season on the 60-day injured list with the Phillies before being activated for rehab assignments at the Florida Complex League on July 16.
That season, he posted a 1.46 ERA over 12.1 innings in eight appearances, including four starts, allowing nine hits, two earned runs, and seven walks, and striking out 17.
In 2023, Aldegheri split time between Low-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore, appearing in 20 games with 19 starts. He finished with a 4-1 record and a 4.20 ERA, pitching 83.2 innings while allowing 78 hits, 39 earned runs, nine home runs, 35 walks, and 99 strikeouts with a 1.351 WHIP.
Last season, Aldegheri began the year in High-A with the Phillies, going 6-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 13 starts. He pitched 68 innings, allowing 44 hits, 24 earned runs, three home runs, 28 walks, and striking out 95 with a 1.059 WHIP before being called up to Double-A Reading on July 9.
At Double-A Reading, Aldegheri posted a 0-2 record with a 3.60 ERA in two starts, pitching 10 innings while allowing nine hits, four earned runs, and four walks and striking out 14. He was then traded to Anaheim in a deal that sent right-hander Carlos Estévez to Philadelphia and George Klassen to the Angels alongside Aldegheri.
Aldegheri began his stint with Double-A Rocket City, going 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA in four starts. He pitched 17.1 innings, allowing 16 hits, 10 earned runs, and nine walks and striking out 25 before the Angels selected his contract on August 30, 2024.
He made his MLB debut on August 20 at home against the Seattle Mariners, taking the loss after pitching five innings. He allowed six hits, two earned runs, one home run, and two walks, and he struck out three, throwing 79 pitches with 50 strikes.
In his second start, Aldegheri earned his first big league win on September 6, pitching six innings on the road against the Texas Rangers. He allowed three hits, one earned run, and three walks and struck out seven while throwing 90 pitches with 52 strikes.
In his final start of the 2024 season, Aldegheri pitched two innings on the road against the Houston Astros on September 13, taking the loss after allowing six hits, four earned runs, one home run, and five walks. He threw 53 pitches, landing 26 for strikes.
On September 15, he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left middle finger blister, sidelining him for the remainder of the season.
This past offseason, Aldegheri signed an $800,000 contract with the Angels for the 2025 season and will enter a pre-arbitration period from 2026 to 27.
The Angels finished last in the 2024 season with a 63-99 record, 25.5 games behind the first-place Houston Astros, who completed 88-73.
Competing for a Spot in the Angels’ Rotation
Aldegheri is competing for a spot in the Angels’ starting rotation for the 2025 season alongside Yusei Kikuchi, Tyler Anderson, Jose Soriano, Kyle Hendricks, Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz, Caden Dana, and Chase Silseth under Ron Washington in his second year as Angels manager.
“Everyone in the Angels staff has helped me a lot this past season, including Washington with his knowledge of knowing the game inside and out at his age and his advice he gives to the young players,” Aldegheri acknowledged on March 7.
Aldegheri has yet to make a start in the 2025 Cactus League. Before the regular season begins, he will focus on refining his mechanics with pitching coach Barry Enright and assistant pitching coach Sal Fasano.
According to FanGraphs, Aldegheri posted a 6.92 K/9 and BB/9, a 1.38 HR/9, a .302 BABIP, a 62% left-on-base rate, a 22.2% ground ball rate, and a 7.7% home run-to-fly ball ratio with the Angels.
According to Baseball Savant, Aldegheri’s fastball tops out at 92.2 mph, with opponents hitting .313 against it, a 19.4% whiff rate, and a 22.2% putaway rate. His changeup sits at 82.1 mph with 34.2 inches of vertical drop, while his slider comes in at 83.9 mph with 42.4 inches of vertical drop and a 38.5% whiff rate. His curveball registers at 75.2 mph with 58.2 inches of vertical drop.
The Angels’ home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Tempe Diablo Stadium on March 7 was rained out. Their split-squad game against the Kansas City Royals in Surprise, Ariz., was also cut short due to rain, ending in an 8-2 loss after six innings.
Aldegheri made his first start of the spring that day against Kansas City, throwing one inning and allowing two hits, two earned runs, and two home runs while striking out three.
The Angels are currently 5-8 in the 2025 Cactus League season.
They will open the 2025 season on the road against the Chicago White Sox on March 27 at 3 p.m. EDT.
Italian-Born Players Who Played in MLB Before Italy’s Unification
NPB – Nippon Professional Baseball
Rugger Ardizoia – (New York Yankees – 1947)
Reno Bertoia – (Detroit Tigers 1953-58, Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins 1959-61,
Kansas City Athletics in 1961, Detroit Tigers 1961-62, Hanshin Tigers (NPB) 1964)
Hank Biasatti – (Philadelphia Athletics – 1949)
Julio Bonetti – (St. Louis Browns 1937-38, Chicago Cubs in 1940)
Marino Pieretti – (Washington Senators (1945-48, Chicago White Sox 1948-49, Cleveland Indians in 1950)
Lou Polli – (St. Louis Browns in 1932, New York Giants in 1944)
