The Italians are here

I know this is mainly a Tigers blog, but the Italian team for the World Baseball Classic had their first practice Tuesday on the back fields of the Tigers complex. It really felt like a tryout camp, with about 44 players fighting for 15-18 spots. Some of these guys are European professionals who flew across the Atlantic yesterday, got into Lakeland late last night and then worked out this afternoon. It was also very odd to hear a language spoken on a baseball field other than English or Spanish.

Manager Matt Galante is an old-school baseball man planted in a new-school situation. He has no idea what to expect out of the European players or how many will make this squad. He’s realistic about his team’s chances against the Dominican and Venezuela, but he wants these guys to play with a sense of pride, which is an interesting facet when nearly half of the expected roster was born and raised in the U.S. This team has the feel of representing a heritage as much as a nation.

By the way, it looks like Tigers prospect Tony Giarratano will be the starter at shortstop and Jason Grilli will play a big role on the pitching staff. It’ll be a good test for both players, especially Giarratano. He’s never looked intimidated going up against Major Leaguers, no matter how good they are.