Team Italy pitcher Matteo Bocchi signed by the Chicago Cubs

After a successful collegiate playing career at Odessa College and the University of Texas (UT) in Austin, Team Italy pitcher Matteo Bocchi has signed with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent. Although he was not selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, the right-handed hurler fielded calls from interested organizations but ultimately chose the Chicago Cubs in the end. After completing a team physical at their Arizona training facility in Mesa, Matteo Bocchi signed a minor league contract with the Cubbies.

Matteo Bocchi will join University of Texas teammate Ryan Reynolds, a junior infielder who was selected as the Chicago Cubs 14th-round pick in the recent MLB Draft, at minor league camp. Matteo Bocchi pitched primarily out of the 2019 Texas Longhorns bullpen and compiled a team-low 2.45 ERA. During his two-year campaign at UT, he threw a total of 71.1 innings with an overall 6-3 record, 58 strikeouts, and 29 walks.

The Chicago Cubs have been watching the Texas Longhorns of late as witnessed by the fact they also drafted former UT reliever Josh Sawyer in 2018. In addition, the Chicago Cubs have always kept a keen eye for Italian baseball players. In the past, the Cubbies have signed the Italian-born and developed pitcher Alessandro Maestri (2006) and catcher Alberto Mineo (2010). The sky is the limit for Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Matteo Bocchi… Forza #Italia! #LetsMakeItHappen

by Roberto Angotti