CAPITALES NAME JONATHAN DE MARTE PITCHING COACH
The Capitales de Québec continue to build their baseball club with the announcement of the return of Jonathan de Marte in 2022, but this time his duties will be as a pitching coach.
Québec baseball fans had the chance to know the right-handed pitcher in 2019 when he was on his first appearance in the capital, astounding them with 35 relief outings where he maintained an excellent earned run average of 2.23.
In February 2020, he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs, but he was unable to assert himself following events arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and he was released from the organization in March 2021.
That same year, he took advantage of his dual American/Israeli citizenship so he could pitch for Team Israel and help them earn a spot at the Tokyo Olympics.
"I started having shoulder pain while preparing for 2021 spring training with the Cubs," says Jonathan. "Once I told the Cubs about my shoulder discomfort, I was released and began aggressive rehabilitation to be ready for Tokyo."
"I played two games in Tokyo - one against the United States and one against Korea. I pitched a scoreless inning against Korea. I allowed one or two against USA, but I don't remember if they were earned."
A graduate of the University of Richmond, de Marte made his professional debut with the Frontier League's Normal CornBelters in 2017, returning for most of 2018 before finishing with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League. He also spent time with the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League for their 2019-20 season.
For Québec manager Patrick Scalabrini, being able to count on the presence of de Marte is a big plus for the 2022 season.
"Jonathan is above all a quality human being, but also a player who brings an exemplary work ethic to the dressing room. He's a die-hard student of baseball and I can't wait to see the impact on our pitchers in a few months."
For his part, the native of the city of White Plains in the State of New York intends to use his personal experience in his new role within the club.
"Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to teach players of all ages and believe in establishing an open line of communication with everyone so they can feel comfortable to approach me at any time. I am proud to lead by example and believe that my patience, willingness to learn and accessibility will have a positive impact for Capitales."
