ITALY – Former Philadelphia Phillies farmhand Daniel Gonzalez will suit up for Telemarket Rimini in the Italian Baseball League (IBL) this season. The slick-fielding shortstop will replace Manny Alexander who signed with Italian powerhouse Danesi Nettuno recently.

The San Juan, Puerto Rico native grew up in Florida and spent five years in the Phillies minor league system after being drafted in the fourth round in 2000. Gonzalez batted .256 in 548 career games with affiliated professional baseball.

The 27-year-old hit .299 with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs on the Indy circuit the past two season for the Atlantic League’s Lancaster Barnstormers.

The re-tooled Telemarket Rimini squad, which finished sixth in the IBL in 2008 with a 19-23 regular season record, will feature an abundance of new faces in 2009. The new recruits for the Pirates includes Rafael Garcia (P), Jorge Balboa (P), Fernando Gutierrez (P), Ivanon Coffie (IF), Phil LoCascio (IF), Eddie Rios (IF), and Lorenzo Avagnina (OF).

De Angelis Godo Sign Veteran Venezuelan Slugger Lino Connell

The Italian Baseball League club De Angelis Godo has signed former Fortitudo Bologna infielder Lino Connell for the 2009 season. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native played in the U.S. minor leagues for three years.

The soon-to-be 37-year-old finished 13th in the IBL batting race a year ago with a .328 mark. Connell, who played in the Mexican League for six season, also tallied 10 doubles and 19 RBIs for last year’s regular season champions.

Th former Indy Leaguer batted .272 this past winter for Anzoátegui Caribes in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Danesi Nettuno Signs Hard-Hitting Shortstop Manny Alexander

Italian baseball heavyweight Danesi Nettuno added some pop to their batting order with the recent signing of former Telemarket Rimini shortstop Manny Alexander. The former major leaguer played in nearly 600 major league games with six teams.

The Dominican Republic native finished 10th in the IBL last season with a .331 batting average. He also smacked two homers and seven doubles, collected 20 RBIs, and scored 30 runs in his only season with the Pirates.

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Tags: Italy