Fortitudo Bologna announced last weekend that it signed 20-year-old Italian outfielder Samuele Bruno to a contract for the 2025 Serie A baseball season.
The move comes almost two months into the Serie A season, with Bologna holding a record of 7-9. Signing Bruno is significant, as he is considered one of the most talented young Italian players and is coming off last season with Grosseto, where he posted a .798 on-base plus slugging percentage.
The Nettuno native has also gained experience playing in the United States. Bruno attended College of the Desert in California last year and has played both outfield and catcher. In the 2023-24 NJCAA season, he batted .346 with a .430 on-base percentage and a .562 slugging percentage in 39 games.
For the 2024-25 season, Bruno transferred to East Central College in Union, Missouri, where he hit .324/.402/.549 in 37 games and drove in 33 runs.
This season in Serie A will be Bruno’s fifth and with his fifth different team. He started with Montefiascone in 2021 before spending the next season and a half with Nettuno Academy. In 2023, he played with Godo, and last year he appeared in 18 games with BBC Grosseto.
In 89 career Serie A games, Bruno has a .772 OPS, 50 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. He has yet to make an error. Bologna sees this as an exciting signing, adding one of the most promising foreign junior college players in the NJCAA and a player with a track record of production in the Italian leagues.
