Chris Colabello
| Chris Colabello | |||
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Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| First baseman / Outfielder | |||
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Born: October 24, 1983 Framingham, Massachusetts | |||
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MLB debut | |||
| May 22, 2013 for the Minnesota Twins | |||
Career statistics (through 2014 season) | |||
| Batting average | .214 | ||
| Home runs | 13 | ||
| Runs batted in | 56 | ||
Teams | |||
Christopher Adrian Colabello (born October 24, 1983) is an Italian-American professional baseball first baseman in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He previosuly played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins in 2013 and 2014, after playing 7 seasons in independent baseball.[1]
Early life and career
Born in Framingham, Massachusetts, Colabello grew up in Italy and played in the youth team of Rimini Baseball Club (his father Lou played there for 7 years and his mother comes from Rimini). He graduated from Milford High School in Milford, Massachusetts.[2] Colabello then attended NCAA Division II Assumption College, but was not drafted by MLB.
Professional career
Independent baseball
Prior to joining the Twins organization in 2012, he played seven seasons in the independent Can-Am League for the Worcester Tornadoes (2005-2011) and Nashua Pride (part of 2007).
Minor leagues
In 2012, his first season of affiliated baseball, Colabello batted .284 with 19 home runs and 98 runs batted in (RBIs) for the New Britain Rock Cats of the Class AA Eastern League. He started the 2013 season in with the Rochester Red Wings of the Class AAA International League, hitting .358 with 12 home runs in 46 games before being promoted to Minnesota.
Minnesota Twins
2013 season
On May 22, 2013, the Twins promoted Colabello to the major leagues and he made his debut that day.[3] He was called up after Trevor Plouffe suffered a concussion and was placed on the 7-day disabled list. Colabello went 1-for-11 and was optioned on the 29th. He was called back up on the 30th after a strained left calf forced Plouffe to the 15-day disabled list.[4]
After his 2013 season, Colabello garnered significant interest from several teams in the Korean Baseball Organization to include a reported $1 million contract offer from the LG Twins (with a similar $1 million buyout going to the Minnesota Twins). On December 21, Colabello announced that he would not pursue the opportunity to play overseas saying "Going to Korea would mean giving up the dream of being a big-leaguer".[5]
Colabello played for the Italy National Team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.[6]
2014 season
In 2014 Colabello made the Twins starting lineup out of the gate, rotating between outfield, first base, and designated hitter. He has had a dazzling start to the season, batting .308 with 3 home runs, and 27 RBIs through his first 23 games.
On April 26, Colabello surpassed Hall of Famer, Kirby Puckett's Twins franchise record of 26 RBIs in the month of April. It was a club record that stood for 20 years.[7]
Toronto Blue Jays
On December 8, 2014, Colabello was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays.[8][9] They designated him for assignment on February 4, 2015.[10] On February 11, he was outrighted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.[11]
References
- ↑ Bollinger, Rhett (February 27, 2013). "Colabello taking road less travelled to make Twins". MLB.com. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Milford's Chris Colabello Debuts in Major League Baseball". Milford, Massachusetts Patch. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Twins add Colabello, put Plouffe on DL". startribune.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ↑ "One day after exiting DL, Plouffe back on it". Minnesota Twins. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Minnesota Twins: Chris Colabello draws interest from Korean-league teams". TwinCities.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ↑ "World Baseball Classic: Italy: Team - Italy". World Baseball Classic. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ↑ "RBI leader Colabello gives Mauer a rest at first". Minnesota Twins. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ↑ Chisholm, Gregor (December 8, 2014). "Blue Jays pluck Colabello off waivers from Twins". MLB.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- ↑ Simmons, Jeff (December 8, 2014). "Blue Jays claim Colabello off waivers from Twins". Sportsnet. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Blue Jays trade LHP prospect Ybarra to Rockies". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ↑ Chisholm, Gregor (February 11, 2015). "Blue Jays outright Colabello to Buffalo". MLB.com. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Chris_Colabello_named_International_League_MVP_and_Rookie_of_the_Year082713
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