Francisco Cervelli has named his training camp roster ahead of Italy’s Premier12 qualifier, which will take place in Barcelona, Spain.
Italy is grouped with Spain, Germany and Colombia for the Oct. 9-11 qualifier. The teams will play a three-day round-robin tournament, with the top two teams advancing to the 2027 Premier12. Italy has played in only one Premier12, in 2015, when it went winless.
The 2027 Premier12 will have added importance with an Olympic berth on the line. Australia and Europe will compete for one Olympic spot during the Premier12, with the highest-finishing team among them earning a berth in the Los Angeles Games.
Italy has made four Olympic appearances, with its most recent coming in 2004 in Athens.
Italy’s training camp roster features 18 players from the silver medal-winning European Championship team from last September. The roster also includes 2024 European Championship U-18 MVP and Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Giacomo Taschin, who will make his debut for Italy’s senior national team.
The 23-year-old catcher and first baseman in Toronto’s organization was signed earlier this year after a dominant performance for Italy at last year’s European Championship.
In seven games at the European Championship, the Venezuela-born Lasaracina posted a 1.701 OPS, hit a tournament-high six home runs and drove in 15 runs, the second-highest total in the tournament.
He made his minor league debut this season with the Florida Complex League and Single-A Dunedin. In 50 combined games, he posted a .970 OPS with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs.
Lasaracina will be Italy’s biggest power source and one of its most feared hitters in Barcelona.
Claudio Scotti
The former minor league pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets organizations was one of the few homegrown players on Italy’s World Baseball Classic roster this year. He made two appearances and did not allow a run over 2 2/3 innings.
Scotti pitched for Parma Clima in the 2026 Serie A Gold Baseball season. He started and relieved during the season but was primarily a starter in the postseason.
He started Parma Clima’s championship-clinching Game 5 of the Italian Baseball Series against San Marino, pitching six scoreless innings with four strikeouts in a 9-0 victory.
In 65 2/3 innings in 2026, Scotti posted a 3.02 ERA with 86 strikeouts. He will be one of Italy’s top starting pitching options in the Premier12 qualifier.
Giacomo Taschin
The 2024 U-18 European Championship MVP had his first minor league season with Toronto this year, much like Lasaracina. The two are believed to be the first Italian battery in minor league history.
In 52 1/3 innings between the Florida Complex League and Single-A Dunedin, Taschin posted a 5.16 ERA with 65 strikeouts.
In his debut with Italy’s senior national team, Taschin will be among the team’s most talented pitching prospects.
Italy to prepare for tournament in Dominican Republic
As part of its preparations for the Premier12 qualifier, Italy will hold a training camp in the Dominican Republic from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4.
18+ where permitted; availability varies by region. Prediction-market prices are for information only — not financial or betting advice. WBN may earn a referral reward when you join or trade on Polymarket through our links.
