Chris Colabello, Utility Player


Date of Birth: 10/24/1983
Birthplace: Framingham, Massachusetts
College: Assumption College

Chris Colabello, utility player, played baseball as a teenager in Italy. From 2005 through 2011, he played in the U.S. minor leagues as part of an independent league. He signed with the Minnesota Twins in February, 2012, and he continued to play in the minor leagues through part of 2014. In 842 games in the minors, he had 995 hits, 236 doubles, 135 home runs, 621 RBIs, and a .314 batting average.

Colabello played in 55 games with the Twins in 2013. He had 31 hits and a .194 batting average. He started off strong for the Twins in 2014, batting in 26 runs in the month of April, breaking the previous Twins' franchise record held for 20 years by Kirby Puckett. He finished the season with 47 hits, 13 doubles, 39 RBIs, and a .229 batting average in 59 games.

The Toronto Blue Jays claimed Colabello off waivers on December 8, 2014. He finished the 2015 season with 107 hits, 19 doubles, 15 home runs, 54 RBIs, and a .321 batting average in 101 games. Defensively, he played 34 games at first base, 33 games in left field, and 13 games in right field.

Colabello was suspended for 80 games without pay on April 22, 2016, for failing a PED test. The Blue Jays designated him for assignment on July 23, 2016. Prior to his suspension, he played in 10 games with the Blue Jays.

Colabello signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on December 20, 2016. He was released on July 8, 2017. The Milwaukee Brewers signed him to a minor league contract on July 18th. He spent the entire 2017 season in the minors.

Colabello elected free agency on November 6, 2017. He played for the Italian Baseball League in 2018.

Colabello retired on June 17, 2019, but then signed with an American Association team on June 23rd. He was released on February 4, 2020. He hasn't played professional baseball since 2019.

Career batting statistics for Colabello through 2017 include:

  • 225 games played
  • 187 hits
  • 111 RBIs
  • 229 strikeouts to 58 walks
  • .257 batting average
Career fielding statistics for Colabello at first base through 2017 include:

  • 91 games played
  • 48 assists
  • 67 double plays
  • 690 putouts
  • 5 errors
  • .993 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Chris Colabello
ESPN - Chris Colabello