Report: Angels to Call Up Sam Aldegheri; 1st MLB Pitcher to Be Born, Raised in Italy

Los Angeles Angels prospect Sam Aldegheri is set to be the first pitcher born and raised in Italy to play in MLB.

The Angels are calling up Aldegheri and expect him to play Friday against the Seattle Mariners, Jeff Passan reported for ESPN.

Aldegheri, 22, was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Angels at the 2024 deadline. He has recorded 134 strikeouts and a 3.59 ERA in 95.1 innings pitched across two minor league levels so far this season.

The promotion is a major jump for Aldegheri, who spent most of the season in High-A Jersey Shore. He did, however, take the next step in his career by making his Double-A debut this season.

Since his trade to the Angels system Aldegheri has recorded 25 strikeouts, nine walks and 10 earned runs in 17.1 innings pitched over four starts with Double-A Rocket City.

The 22-year-old is ranked as the No. 4 pitcher and No. 8 overall prospect in the Angels' pipeline by the MLB prospect rankings.

MLB scouts offered some insight as to why Aldegheri is a top-ten prospect for the Angels:

"The left-hander's profile has been upgraded from a back-end rotation or spot-starter type to one who has a real chance to start games in the big leagues. He's always had four pitches with decent feel for them, and that's continued as his stuff has ticked up a bit this year. His fastball sits in the low 90s and is up to 95 mph, a high-spin heater that has solid carry in the zone. He has both a slider and a curve, and Aldegheri throws the former a lot more than the latter, a solid low-80s breaking ball. The curve is more of an upper-70s pitch that's improving. Further commitment to his changeup has been a big reason for his improvement, as it's been very effective against right-handed hitters."

"Aldegheri's walk rate hasn't been great, but he's shown more feel for the zone than the numbers might indicate, and there was belief in the Phillies organization that he'll be a solid strike-thrower as he gets more time on the mound. Now it will be the Angels who can try to help him put the finishing touches in his development as he logs more innings at the upper levels."

Aldegheri signed a $210,000 contract with the Phillies in July 2019. After suffering a sprained UCL in his left elbow in 2021 which did not necessitate surgery, the pitcher made his High-A debut in 2023. He was then moved to Los Angeles as part of the Carlos Estévez trade in July.

Seven players born in Italy have ever made their debut in MLB, most recently Alex Liddi with the Seattle Mariners in 2011, per Baseball Almanac.

The last Italian-born pitcher to enter the league was Marino Pieretti with the Washington Nationals in 1945.

Pieretti grew up near San Francisco. That sets up Aldegheri, who was raised in Verona, to make history when he takes the mound for the Angels.

Aldegheri will be looking to mark Italian record books on Friday. The prospect, who told The Athletic's Matt Gelb in March that he was "a hundred percent sure" he would make it to the MLB, will get the chance to audition for further starts against a Mariners team that has won three of their last four games despite a midseason slump.