Team Italy was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic on Monday night, but their run made quite an impression. Arguably the best player for Italy — and the whole tournament, for that matter — was Cubs farmhand John Andreoli. The long-tenured minor leaguer hit .316 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI in four games, nearly lifting his team to an improbable win with a late go-ahead homer in a tiebreaker against Venezuela.
Evan has already discussed the difficult path Andreoli faces to crack the Cubs roster, but I want to ask a different question about the Worcester, Massachusetts native.