Fort Myers – There are many names in camp vying for one of the several open spots in the Minnesota Twins bullpen. However, Dan Altavilla is only one of two non-roster invitees in camp who will be leaving early to participate in the WBC, where he’ll play for Team Italy.
Altavilla, 33, signed with the Twins on a minor-league deal in early December. He spent the last few off-seasons pitching in the Dominican Winter League and WBSC Premier12 tournament.
Twins bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins served as the bullpen coach for Team USA in the WBSC Premier12 in 2024. There, Altavilla met the longtime MLB reliever, who has been a staple with the Twins organization since Hawkins retired after the 2015 season. Once Minnesota hired him to its coaching staff, it enticed Altavilla to sign with the club.
“There was some mutual respect there,” Altavilla said. “I mentioned it to my agent, then I texted it to LaTroy, and they were just really interested, so we went with the Twins.”
Hawkins had advised the Twins to pursue him for the last two off-seasons, but the Chicago White Sox beat them to a minor-league deal in the 2024-25 off-season. So, when he was still available to sign around the same time a year later, Hawkins knew he’d be a strong option for organizational bullpen depth.
“[I’m a] big fan,” Hawkins said. “His fastball, especially, I think his fastball is 33% swing-and-miss rate, which is pretty impressive. And the way the ball comes out of his hand, he has a fastball very similar to Joe Ryan’s, which definitely helps his cause. And he’s spinning a really good changeup, so he’s a big asset for us this year.”
Having previous experience working alongside Hawkins has made Altavilla’s transition to another new clubhouse easy. He’s playing for his fourth organization in the last three seasons, not uncommon for a journeyman reliever entering his ninth season in the bigs. However, Minnesota’s coaching staff and his new teammates have made this one easier than others.
“I love it,” Altavilla said. “It’s really structured, it seems like they have [a] plan for everybody in here, and it’s been a nice start to it.”
In addition to the welcome clubhouse, Altavilla has also been feeling good about his fastball velocity.
Last year, his fastball velo averaged 96.3 MPH over 28 relief appearances with the White Sox. He has the stuff to reach up to 99 MPH, but it has never been that high in spring training the last few seasons. Altavilla was hoping to hit 99 MPH after an off-season where he didn’t play in the Winter Leagues.
“I think the past two years I probably came into camp probably anywhere from 93 to 96 MPH, and in my first two [live bullpens] I’ve been anywhere from 96 to 99 MPH,” he said. “Stuff’s up. Right now, it’s just focusing [on] execution and pitch selection. So I think we’re in a good spot.”
Altavilla hopes it plays well once the WBC begins the week of March 1. It’ll be his first time in the tournament after he tried to play for Team Italy in 2017, but they ruled him ineligible. Since then, he and his family have been able to trace one of his great-grandfathers on his dad’s side, who was born in Italy and eventually emigrated to the U.S.
Team Italy will also likely field its best roster in tournament history. Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola will lead the pitching staff, Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, and young phenom Jac Caglianone, and former Chicago White Sox teammate Kyle Teel will lead the lineup.
Altavilla is coming off a strong 2025 and will bolster Team Italy’s bullpen. He had a 2.48 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 17.5% strikeout rate, 12.5% walk rate, and .188 opponents’ batting average over 29 innings pitched. With his velocity up early in camp and a better feel for his command, Altavilla is hopeful Team Italy will make a run in a top-heavy Pool B class, led by Team USA and Team Mexico.
“I think they kind of loosened that just to get as many players in as possible, but I’m excited to represent Italy and hopefully make a run,” he said. “It’s just the family name to see how it traces back, and being able to represent that is pretty special to me.”
