Chris Colabello

[jokin]

After Sunday's game

3rd in BAve .361

5th in OBP .419

2nd in SLgg .657

2nd in OPD 1.076

1st in doubles 17

Tied first in HR 11

3rd in RBI 34

1st in TB 111

 

Team is not a contender & is on pace to lose 89gms. They can use some offensive help for sure...15th runs 24th in slgg

If he was 5yrs younger, he'd be here so this proves how MN moves people around due to age, not performance.

Not sure who he replaces tho....have to go w/Parm. Ramirez isnt a major leaguer either but ya need a backup CF.

Find a way Twins.

 

I'm coming over to your side, guys. Day after day, the guy has no plate protection to speak of behind him, and he continues to mash, day after day. His split versus AAA "older pitchers" isn't as good as his overall numbers, but he's still hitting a very decent .874 OPS against them.

 

I'm seeing a role for him like Thome had, a DH from the right side. You're right greengoblin, the Twins should find a way, get the CF situation resolved, make a trade.....and then get it done

[Brodin4Calder]

Honestly I have been skeptical about him all season but he keeps getting hits, runs, hrs, XBH...... You cant ignore how well hes doing, I say they give him a shot. It couldnt hurt, I mean the Twins arent a playoff team anyway.

[greengoblinrulz]

With 4gms in ATL, it wouldnt hurt to have another bat.

Send Pedro down & call up Colabello to PH & address the 5th starter on SAT w/Gibson is back.

BALT just called up 28yr old Danny Valencia cause he was also tearing up AAA but w/Machado @3B, CDavis @1B....they know he earned it & made it happen. Just like BALT called up a 20yr old AA kid without great numbers rather than having him face pitchers for a 3rd/4th time.

[jokin]

With 4gms in ATL, it wouldnt hurt to have another bat.

Send Pedro down & call up Colabello to PH & address the 5th starter on SAT w/Gibson is back.

BALT just called up 28yr old Danny Valencia cause he was also tearing up AAA but w/Machado @3B, CDavis @1B....they know he earned it & made it happen. Just like BALT called up a 20yr old AA kid without great numbers rather than having him face pitchers for a 3rd/4th time.

 

Excellent points gg. I've been railing on the Machado thing for some time. The Birds just look at things differently than the Twins- even with ex-Twins! Just look at the examples of how many Twins castoffs are in the organization, contributing (Casilla, Burnett), starting (Hardy), resurrecting (Ford), others patiently waiting for another chance (Valencia and Pridie were/are both tearing up the IL).

[B Richard]

If he was 5yrs younger, he'd be here so this proves how MN moves people around due to age, not performance.

 

Not quite. The reason younger guys are getting looks is because of their upside, especially in terms of how they can help the club in the long run. I don't think anyone in the FO sees Colabello as a solid, future fixture for this team.

 

You're right- if he were 24, with his athletic prime ahead of him, there's a good chance he plays ball at the big league level. It's about upside though- not age. The Twins are trying to evaluate prospects with potentially higher upside who can make a longer impact than Colabello can.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the guy and his story. I hope to see him up soon. With Parmelee's prolonged lack of production, maybe the FO has gotten a better read on him and can move Colabello up for the time being. I have a feeling we see him soon.

[Shane Wahl]

On stuff and an address to B Richard (you have a cool as hell avatar so I am not going to be mean):

 

Colabello is in his prime RIGHT NOW. There's maybe a two-three year window of this production, yes. But that means that he isn't someone they have to treat as a "play everyday guy" at all. He is, quite clearly, the best bench bat this team has at its disposal right now and I don't hate on Wilkin Ramirez at all. I wish that pitchers were men still and that the Twins could simply have eleven of them.

 

I will say one thing that Colabello may provide--coverage for a Morneau trade. They wouldn't be replacing Morneau with garbage, and Parmelee and Colabello could platoon. There's no rushing Sano next damn month to the bigs to play first--they could let him keep trying at 3B for another year. I will honestly say that I really don't know if there would be much difference in the performances for the Twins in 2013 between Colabello and Sano. In 2014, the gap is big. By 2015, its enormous. But the short-term has value.

 

On the other hand, maybe the Twins keeps Morneau and try to get something decent (not great, but not minimal) for Parmelee. The same story still applies for Colabello.

 

Finally, I like having pinch hitters who I can have at least a 10% of seeing smack a bomb. Wilkin doesn't do that. Colabello could.

[greengoblinrulz]

Hear Gardy talkin about Colabello tonight & saying how much he deserves a promotion, but they dont know he'd play since they have Doumit to DH. REALLY!!!! Doumit is a solid backup C, but not a great enough hitter to warrant 500 DH ABs. The everyday ABs bein given to Parmellee/Doumit right now are maddening, esp when its at expense of Arcia.

[Shane Wahl]

Hear Gardy talkin about Colabello tonight & saying how much he deserves a promotion, but they dont know he'd play since they have Doumit to DH. REALLY!!!! Doumit is a solid backup C, but not a great enough hitter to warrant 500 DH ABs. The everyday ABs bein given to Parmellee/Doumit right now are maddening, esp when its at expense of Arcia.

 

An absurdity. It's very clear what to do: Send Hicks and Arcia down. Promote Colabello and Richardson (figure out the 40-man issue easily). Give Hicks and Arcia the near max plate appearances in AAA as possible. In the meantime weight the value of Colabello, Ramirez, and maybe even Dozier or Florimon, and then make a decision. Bring Hicks and Arcia up and just fix the roster as one sees fit.

[Seth Stohs]

Wilkin Ramirez was pretty impressive, with 15 homers last year in just 370 at bats in Rochester.. just tells you how impressive Colabello has been that he's got 12 homers in about 170 at bats.

[Seth Stohs]

Hear Gardy talkin about Colabello tonight & saying how much he deserves a promotion, but they dont know he'd play since they have Doumit to DH. REALLY!!!! Doumit is a solid backup C, but not a great enough hitter to warrant 500 DH ABs. The everyday ABs bein given to Parmellee/Doumit right now are maddening, esp when its at expense of Arcia.

 

Doumit is a career .772 OPS. It was .781 last year and .830 the year before. I want to see Colabello get an opportunity as much as anyone, but there's no guarantee he would come anywhere near those numbers in the big leagues. If Colabello comes up, it would be as a part timer. Occasional 1B. Once in a while DH. Sometimes a pinch hitter. There could be some platooning involved, of course, though i think Doumit's stronger side is batting right-handed.

[jay]

Chris was just named the International League Player of the Week for the second time already this season. He had a pretty amazing week (.536/.594/1.071, 7 G, 15-for-28, 6 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R, 2 BB, 7 K) and then hit a grand slam to lead off the next week last night. Offensive Players of the Week | MiLB.com News | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball

 

He played RF on both Sunday and Monday instead of his usual 1B/DH. Presumably, the major league club is trying to assess whether he can fill some innings out there as a platoon, PH option, or emergency.

 

Watch closely for roster moves this Friday as the Twins shuffle players around to get a 5th starter onto the active roster. Chris has certainly earned a chance.

[B Richard]

On stuff and an address to B Richard (you have a cool as hell avatar so I am not going to be mean):

 

Colabello is in his prime RIGHT NOW. There's maybe a two-three year window of this production, yes. But that means that he isn't someone they have to treat as a "play everyday guy" at all. He is, quite clearly, the best bench bat this team has at its disposal right now and I don't hate on Wilkin Ramirez at all. I wish that pitchers were men still and that the Twins could simply have eleven of them.

 

I will say one thing that Colabello may provide--coverage for a Morneau trade. They wouldn't be replacing Morneau with garbage, and Parmelee and Colabello could platoon. There's no rushing Sano next damn month to the bigs to play first--they could let him keep trying at 3B for another year. I will honestly say that I really don't know if there would be much difference in the performances for the Twins in 2013 between Colabello and Sano. In 2014, the gap is big. By 2015, its enormous. But the short-term has value.

 

On the other hand, maybe the Twins keeps Morneau and try to get something decent (not great, but not minimal) for Parmelee. The same story still applies for Colabello.

 

Finally, I like having pinch hitters who I can have at least a 10% of seeing smack a bomb. Wilkin doesn't do that. Colabello could.

 

I appreciate the avatar compliment. There's just a couple points I'd like to make.

 

I never said Colabello wasn't in his prime-- for all intents and purposes here, he is. What I did say was that he is not really a part of a long term solution for the Twins organization. There's a couple guys, Hicks and Arcia, who might be. Evaluating their respective skill sets and seeing how they might fit into a future WS run is more important than a couple extra wins in 2013. We have seen flashes of greatness from both, but both could certainly benefit from working down in AAA with regular ABs and without constant pressure.

 

It's also important to remember how Parm raked in AAA. AAA stats are not perfect indicators of how someone is going to handle major league velocity, movement and control. Seeing as how Colabello has yet to have made a splash in the bigs, it might be a little too soon to deem him the best bench bat we have.

 

The gist of what I was getting at in my original post revolved around an untrue claim about how the Twins promote. I was just pointing out that the motives of a rebuilding team are inherently different than a "win now" club. With all of that being said, I personally think we have seen enough of Parm/Hicks/ et al. for the time being to give Colabello a shot at the bigs. Maybe he sticks around for now. Maybe he doesn't. I am personally in favor of a promotion for the man. Just wanted to clear that up.

[jay]

Nothing official from the Twins yet, but Colabello's personal hitting coach just said he's been called up.

https://twitter.com/Tewk****ting/status/337063849775742976

 

Assuming it's true.... CONGRATS TO CHRIS!! Well deserved and we look forward to watching you play with the big club!

[jay]

After 2 starts (1 RF, 1 DH), Chris was temporarily optioned back to AAA. With Trevor Plouffe going on the 15-day DL, he was quickly recalled without playing a game for Rochester.

 

Chris will look to improve upon his current 1 for 11 MLB line as an option for 1B, DH, RF, and emergency 3B.

[jay]

After another brief MLB stint, Chris was again optioned back to Rochester.

 

Seth named him his 'May Hitter of the Month' with the following write-up:

 

Rochester Red Wings 1B Chris Colabello

 

(34-80) .425/.489/.800 (1.289) with 12 doubles, no triples, six home runs and 20 RBI.

 

I struggled with this a bit. Colabello didn’t even play in a minor league game in May after May 21. Should I give him the #1 spot for the month? Should I factor in his 2-15 performance with the Twins? Does he have enough at bats to “qualify” for this ‘award’? Well, he’s got plenty of at bats, and his numbers are incredible. Didn’t play in the last 9-10 Red Wings games of the month and still accounted for 18 extra base hits. Also, his story is remarkable, and for it to culminate with his first big league promotion at the age of 29 after seven years in independent ball, it just adds to the reasoning. Look again at the month he had and remember that he had a very strong April. There is no reason to believe that Colabello can’t be a big league role player. We do know that he can mash AAA pitching, something he’ll be doing again here in June.

[jay]

Chris came back for 1 AB vs the Nationals on 6/9 and has continued to destroy AAA both before and after. His .369/.437/.663 triple-slash (and 1.100 OPS!!) leads the International League in all three categories. His 18 HRs and 169 TBs are both good for 2nd.

 

The hope is that we'll see Chris on the MLB roster for the rest of the season no later than some time around the trade deadline in late July if someone from the trio of Morneau, Willingham, or Doumit finds a new home.

[jay]

Some various links to recent articles:

 

Video clip from MiLB of oppo HR on 6/22 vs Louisville - Video Highlights & Clips - MiLB | Rochester's Chris Colabello homers - Video | Rochester Red Wings Multimedia

 

'Study In Perserverance', a 2-min video by USATODAY - Wings' Chris Colabello a study in perseverance - USATODAY.com Video

 

Leading 1B vote getter in AAA All-Star Game fan balloting (still ahead as of June 20, voting is closed and rosters will be announced shortly): Colabello, Hawpe ahead in fan voting | MiLB.com News | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball

 

Clubhouse prank or clubhouse mistake? Chris wore the wrong jersey in a MLB game: Y! SPORTS

[jay]

Honored again by TD's own Seth Stohs as the June hitter of the month.

 

The June Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is...

 

Rochester Red Wings 1B Chris Colabello

 

(34-94) .362/.451/.660 (1.111) with four doubles, no triples, eight home runs and 26 RBI.

I am certain I sound like a broken record, but the Chris Colabello story should be talked about more, and he should be getting even more attention. He debuted with the Twins in May and still was the choice for minor league hitter of that month. This month, he spent the entire time with the Red Wings and still was incredible. He hits for average, takes walks and hits for power. He is the force in the middle of the Red Wings lineup that has helped them get back over .500 again. Overall, in 77 games with the Red Wings this year, he has hit .358/.436/.653 with 22 doubles, 21 homers and 67 RBI. He was recently named to the International League All-Star team, and frankly, he’s been one of the best handful of players at any level of minor league baseball.

[AlwaysinModeration]

I honestly think Colabello could be the Twins DH or 1B for the next several years. He hits, and he hits for power, and he draws walks.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I honestly think Colabello could be the Twins DH or 1B for the next several years. He hits, and he hits for power, and he draws walks.

Important to remember that Parmelee similarly dominated the same league last year, yet is hovering just above a .700 MLB OPS right now. And plenty of other older mashers have posted great AAA lines but could never translate that to MLB performance. Dan Johnson's had a few ~1.000 OPS seasons in that league recently, with great K/BB ratios.

 

Don't get me wrong: I'd love to see Colabello get a shot.

[jay]

Don't get me wrong: I'd love to see Colabello get a shot.

 

It is widely expected that Chris will get just that. It looks like he will be allowed to play in the AAA All-Star Game before the Twins announce the roster move. Twins option Arcia, Escobar and Parmelee to Triple-A Rochester | twinsbaseball.com: News

 

Good luck on this next callup, Chris!

[Seth Stohs]

FemmeFan.com

 

This is a story by Jessica Quiroli, written in early 2009, when Colabello was still playing in the Can-Am League. "It's a Living!"

[jay]

With September 1 just around the corner, Chris should hopefully stick on the MLB roster for the rest of the year. We can only hope he gets more chances to show what he can do.

 

Congrats to him on being named the International League MVP and ROY! Colabello named IL MVP, Rookie of the Year | International League News

 

2011 -- Independent League Player of the Year

2012 -- 2nd place, Eastern League MVP

2013 -- Int'l League MVP and ROY