Chris Colabello

[William Malone]

Christopher Adrian Colabello was born on October 24, 1983 in Framingham, Massachusetts.

He went undrafted out of Division II Assumption University in 2005, and signed with the independent Worcester Tornadoes. Colabello played seven seasons for the Tornadoes, before signing a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. He hit .284 with 19 home runs and 98 RBI for the New Britain Rock Cats (AA) in 2012. After beginning the 2013 campaign in Triple-A, the Twins called him up to the Majors in late May.

Colabello went 1-for-11 during a brief stint with the Twins, and was optioned back to the minor leagues. He continued to dominate Triple-A pitching, and was named International League Player of the Year for his efforts with the Rochester Red Wings. Minnesota called him back up later in the year. Colabello hit .194 with seven home runs and 17 RBI at the big league level that season. His first career home run was a 13th inning go-ahead shot against Yoervis Medina of the Seattle Mariners on July 26th. Colabello also hit a go-ahead ninth inning grand slam off Chia-Jen Lo of the Houston Astros on September 2nd.

He was offered $1 million to join the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization during the off-season. This was almost twice as much as Colabello was set to make with Minnesota, and he wasn't even a sure thing to make the roster. Colabello wound up turning down the money, claiming he wasn't ready to quit on his dream of being a Major League regular.

The Twins included Colabello on their Opening Day roster in 2014, and he got off to a historic start. His 27 RBI during the month of April set a new franchise record, which still stands as of 2025. He surpassed Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett, who had 26 RBI during the opening month of 1994. Colabello eventually cooled off, and was optioned back to the minors by the end of May. He shuffled up-and-down a few times during the year, slashing .229/.282/.380 with six home runs and 39 RBI over 59 big league games in 2014.

Minnesota waived Colabello in the off-season, and he was claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays. He had a great first season in Toronto, hitting .321 in 101 games. Colabello was the Blue Jays starting first baseman during the 2015 postseason, helping them reach the ALCS. He was suspended 80-games for performance enhancing drugs just two weeks into the 2016 season. Toronto optioned him to Triple-A when the suspension ended in July, and released him after the season.

Colabello never played at the big league level again, but he continued to play professionally through 2024. This included minor league stints in various organizations, and a few years back in independent ball. Internationally, Colabello has frequently played for the Italian national team. He played in the World Baseball Classic twice, the 2020 Olympic qualifiers, and several European baseball championships.

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