Mario Signorello, a former Major League Baseball player and current CEO of the Caribbean Baseball Organization, has embarked on an ambitious journey to revolutionize baseball in Africa. As part of the African Baseball Project, Signorello aims to harness the power of baseball to drive positive change across the continent.
“I used to work in major league baseball, and the first player ever from Africa to play major league baseball called me four years ago and wanted to have baseball and softball championship in Africa, and shared his vision with me,” Signorello explained. “We formed a partnership along with several major league baseball players, and our mission is to change the world through baseball in Africa.”
Signorello emphasized the importance of partnerships with local baseball enthusiasts, citing the Africa Baseball Project’s mission to support and enhance existing efforts. “We want to partner with good baseball people because we don’t live in Africa, we don’t know anybody. So we want to partner with good baseball people and help them reach their goals.”
Speaking about his experience at the Monimak Baseball and Softball Junior Clubs Championship in Ilorin, Nigeria, Signorello said, “I’m impressed with the enthusiasm… This is the only stadium in the entire continent of Africa, and that’s why we’re here to support their efforts for what they’re doing.”
Signorello also shared his joy at seeing the impact of the project on the young players. “As a parent, yesterday was my Father’s Day gift when me and Jeff Lampert got to teach and play a coach pitch game with 20 kids that had never played baseball before. To see the look on the kids’ faces when they hit the ball for the first time, when they run… A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. They’ve taken the first step, now we want to walk with them.”
He acknowledged the challenges ahead but expressed optimism about the future. “The future can be bright, however, it takes work, it takes effort, it takes some money, it takes some coordination, and it takes more people to participate with it. All those things are possible… It takes three things for something to succeed: the idea, the implementation plan, and the ability to implement. Anybody can have ideas, anybody can say I’m gonna do this, but to actually do it and become reality, that’s what those challenges are.”
When asked if he expects to see more of himself in Africa, Signorello replied, “Well, I’m gonna be seen all over Africa… This is my fourth country, we’ve got eight countries, seven cities in our initial league, but then we’ve got probably a total of about 15 to 20 that’ll be part of the project… Everybody’s great, everybody is… I haven’t taken more pictures these last two days than I did for my wedding!”
Signorello’s passion and dedication to the African Baseball Project are evident, and his vision for the future of African baseball is inspiring. He knows that the journey ahead will be long, but he is convinced that the future of African baseball is bright.
