Former Pirates Catcher Named Italy National Manager
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PITTSBURGH -- A former Pittsburgh Pirates player will take the next step in their managerial career, as they coach the country they represent.
Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS), or the Italian Federation of Baseball and Softball announced that Francisco Cervelli is the new national team manager, taking over for Mike Piazza. Cervelli will also run the new Italy baseball academy, that the federation is still setting up.
Huge news for Italy's national team: With a new president at FIBS, Mike Piazza is out and Francisco Cervelli has been named the new national team manager. He will also be running the new academy being set up inside the country. https://t.co/pru7xuscdK
— Michael Clair (@michaelsclair) January 25, 2025
Cervelli was born in Venezuela to an Italian immigrant father, Emanuele Cervelli, and to a Venezuelan mother, Damelis Cervelli.
He has previous experience with the Italy National Team, playing for them twice in the World Baseball Classic in 2009 and 2017.
He played a variety of positions growing up in Venezuela, before the New York Yankees signed him as an international free agent, with him now focusing more on catching.
Cervelli spent time in the Yankees' minor league system and eventually made it up to the MLB in late 2008.
The Yankees called Cervelli back up in 2009, as they had injures to catchers in Jorge Posada and José Molina. He also was on the postseason roster, but not on the World Series roster, which the Yankees won in six games over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Cervelli played in 93 games for the Yankees in 2010, but struggled with injuries over the next four seasons, playing just 112 games over that time.
The Yankees traded Cervelli to the Pirates on Nov. 12, 2014 for left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson.
Cervelli took over as the starting catcher for the Pirates and played 124 games in the 2015 season, leading the team to 98 wins and a spot in the National League Wild Card. He slashed .295/.370/.401, with 133 hits, 17 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, 43 RBI and 46 walks to 93 strikeouts.
He stayed with the Pirates on a one-year $3.5 million deal and then signed a three-year deal with the franchise during the 2016 season.
Cervelli would play 450 games for the Pirates during his five seasons with the team, slashing .264/.362/.374, an OPS of .735, with 392 hits, 62 doubles, 11 triples, 26 home runs, 169 RBI and 194 walks to 346 strikeouts.
The Pirates released Cervelli in August of the 2019 season, where the Atlanta Braves signed him and he played 14 games in the regular season, plus two in the playoffs.
Cervelli signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Miami Marlins in 2020 and played in 16 games, before announcing his retirement at the end of that season.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.