Italian American Chris Denorfia, who played for Team Italy in the 2009 and 2013 WBC, was named manager of the Hartford Yard Goats, the Double A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

He was hired in 2020, but his managerial debut will happen this year due to delays from the pandemic.

Denorfia played for the Reds, A’s, Padres, Mariners and Cubs over 11 seasons and retired in 2015.

At the WBC, he started all three games in 2009 and played center and hit second in the lineup in 2013. He was 8-for-21 in 2013 and scored five runs.

From MiLB.com: Denorfia enjoyed his best season in the Majors in 2013 when he batted .279 with 21 doubles, 10 homers, and 47 RBI for the San Diego Padres, and led the club with 132 hits. He had a walk-off, pinch hit home run off Aroldis Chapman of the Reds on July 29th. In June of 2012, he had a career-high 12-game hitting streak.