Following in the footsteps of fellow Italian pitchers Daniele Di Monte, Samuel Aldegheri and Matteo Bocchi, Ettore Giulianelli is the fourth Team Italy player to be signed by Major League Baseball (MLB) in recent months. The 16-year-old FIBS Academist from Rimini signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on September 4, 2019 after impressing scouts at the MLB Elite European Development Tournament, a three-day scouting showcase and training camp which featured 17 Italian prospects and players from 12 other Euro countries. The MLB Elite European Development Tournament was held in England in late June during the week-long series of initiatives designed to commemorate and celebrate the London Series 2019 between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

Growing up playing for Torre Pedrera Falcons under the leadership of Simona Conti and Davide Sartini, Ettore Giulianelli found himself representing Team Italy in the 2017 U15 European Baseball Championship. Shortly thereafter he entered the FIBS Academy in Tirrenia, where pitching coach Bill Holmberg became his mentor and helped developed his craft as a pitcher. Transferring to the FIBS Academy Acquacetosa on the campus of the CONI “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Training Center in Rome, FIBS Academy head coach and residence coordinator John Cortese and pitching coach Luis Hernandez Aguila made Ettore Giulianelli into the talented pitcher he is today.

After graduating from high school in Italy, Ettore Giulianelli is expected to report to the St. Louis Cardinals Training Facility in Jupiter, Florida where he will make his professional pitching debut for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals in the Rookie League during the summer of 2020. Forza #Italia! #LetsMakeItHappen

by Roberto Angotti