Mets signing Italian teenager in franchise first

The New York Mets are signing Italian pitcher Matteo Marelli, the first European amateur signing in team history.

The 19-year-old right-hander was scheduled to have a signing ceremony on Saturday in Rovigo, Italy.

"What I'm most proud about is the Mets are expanding their global footprint," Mets scout Rosario Chiovaro said, per the team's website. "I want the Mets to be a global brand."

Chiovaro began scouting Marelli two years ago in Major League Baseball's European Development Tournament in London. When he saw Marelli again three months ago in the same tournament in Barcelona, his fastball had risen from the mid-80s to the mid-90s.

The fastball is one of five distinct pitches in Marelli's arsenal, including a "kick change" he perfected by studying clips on social media.

"It's easy to see when somebody's different from other people, from other players," said Francisco Cervelli, a longtime big-league catcher and current head coach of Italy's national teams, including Marelli's U-23 squad. "You see a future. It's a very interesting player. And the arm ... (Once he starts) training every day, you're going to see results very quickly."

--Field Level Media