“It all starts with a dream.” Ask Mike Piazza about his goals for baseball in Italy and he’ll likely find his way back to this thought. The Hall of Fame catcher has already made multiple noteworthy contributions to help support the country’s baseball ambitions, representing Italy both on the field and in the dugout during previous World Baseball Classics.

But the 55-year-old remains eager to grow the game in a land where soccer is king, and he knows such a tall task requires much more than making cameos at international tournaments once or twice a decade.