Marten Gasparini
Shortstop
Born: (1997-05-24) May 24, 1997
Ruda, Italy
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right

Marten Gasparini (born May 24, 1997) is an Italian former professional baseball shortstop who played in the Kansas City Royals organization his entire minor league career. Gasparini received a $1.3 million signing bonus from the Royals, a record bonus for a European player. On May 18, 2019, Gasparini announced his retirement from professional baseball after 6 seasons in the Kansas City Royals organization.[1]

Early life

Gasparini was raised in the town of Ruda, Friuli, the son of an Italian father (Federico) and a British mother (Wendy).[2] His mother, a former track and field athlete, taught English in Italy, using American movies with Italian subtitles to help her students learn the language.[2][3] One such film was For Love of the Game, which piqued Gasparini's interest in baseball.[2] He also participated in soccer and martial arts.[4]

While competing in Little League Baseball at the age of 11, Gasparini caught the attention of scouts. He then attended the Italian Baseball Academy in Tirrenia beginning in 2011.[5][6][7] In 2012, Gasparini competed for the Italian national baseball team in the 15-and-under and 18-and-under Baseball World Championships.[6]

Career

At the age of 16, Gasparini signed with the Royals as an international free agent for a signing bonus of US$1.3 million in 2013,[3] the largest bonus given to a European player.[8] That fall, he participated in the Arizona Instructional League.[6] Gasparini made his professional debut in 2014 with the Burlington Royals of the rookie-level Appalachian League.[9] He had a .191 batting average in 19 games played for Burlington, and also played four games for the Idaho Falls Chukars of the rookie-level Pioneer League.[5]

Gasparini spent the 2015 season with Idaho Falls, where he had a .259 batting average, 26 stolen bases, and led the league in triples with 10.[2][5][7][8] He played the 2016 season with the Lexington Legends of the Class A South Atlantic League,[10] posting a .196 batting average with seven home runs and 42 RBIs. He returned to Lexington in 2017, batting .227 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs in 122 games.[11][12]

Personal life

Gasparini has a sister, who is studying in the United States.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Royals' Marten Gasparini: Hangs it up". www.cbssports.com/. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Story, Mark (May 7, 2016). "Legends shortstop found baseball through Kevin Costner". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Royals sign Italian shortstop Marten Gasparini for $1.3 million". MLB.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Marten Gasparini, 15, Might Be Europe's Best Prospect Ever". Baseball America. May 20, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Kansas City Royals shortstop prospect Marten Gasparini on track for breakout season – MiLB.com News – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 "Marten Gasparini, promessa italiana del baseball americano". Il Post (in Italian). July 3, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Gasparini adjusts to life away from Italy". Post-Register. July 11, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Shortstop Marten Gasparini's unlikely journey from Italy to Royals' minor leagues". Kansas City Star. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ Sutton, Bob (June 13, 2014). "Italian prospect ticketed for Burlington team". The Times-News. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Lexington's Miller, Danville's Bodner on Legends' opening day roster". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Marten Gasparini Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Legends' Gasparini ends marathon with a bang | MiLB.com". www.milb.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Baseball – Marten Gasparini firma con i Kansas City Royals". Yahoo Sport. July 4, 2013. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
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