National Post (National Edition)
In the moment
Journeyman Chris Colabello, a seven-year veteran of the Canadian-American League, ‘blessed’ to be with Jays
At the moment, Canadian fans are rooting for Chris Colabello. In 2013, they were not, and he broke their hearts.
Playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, Colabello went four-for-five with a three-run homer and four RBIs as Italy stunned Canada 14-5 in Phoenix. He finished the tournament with a .368 batting average in five games.
It was a highlight of Colabello’s nomadic and unusual baseball career, which on Tuesday brought him to Toronto — unexpectedly — to play for the Blue Jays. In his debut against the Yankees, he delivered a double and single.
He is 31 now, a veteran of seven years in the independent Canadian-American League and 114 games with the Minnesota Twins. A hot month at Triple-A Buffalo and a sudden need in Toronto triggered a promotion, which could last as little as a few days, or perhaps longer, depending on the volatile evolution of the Jays’ roster and, of course, Colabello’s performance.
He understands all of that. Having experienced 11 seasons in the bush leagues, whatever happens will neither shock nor disappoint him.
“Enjoy the moment as much as possible, try to help this team win,” he said Wednesday before making his second straight start in left field. “At the end of the day I’ve been very blessed to have the opportunity to get to the big leagues. Every day is about embracing moments for me. You can get caught up in thinking about what’s in the future, what’s in the past. It wears on you and I’m tired of doing that.”
A native of Massachusetts, Colabello spent much of his youth in Italy, where his father, Lou, migrated for nine summers to pitch in the Italian league. Because Lou met his wife in Italy, their union eventually giving Chris the bona fides to represent Italy in the WBC.
After the 2011 season, when he was named the top independent-league player by Baseball America — he hit .348 with 20 homers — Colabello had an epiphany. He decided to stop worrying about whether a major-league club would give him a shot.
“The more I played, the more I believed in myself,” he said. “I think the time really came when it wasn’t about getting an organization to say, ‘Hey, we think you can play.’ I freed myself of that mentally. I think that was the best thing I could’ve done. I said I almost don’t need their approval. I believe in me. If somebody chooses to give me a chance or not, that doesn’t mean I can’t do it.”
Shortly after that, the Twins called and gave him a minor-league contract. They called him up in 2013 and again last year, when his torrid start in April — .295 average, 27 RBIs — suddenly made him a feel-good story. Then, gradually, the story went sour. He batted .229 and went looking for work in the off-season.
The Jays saw him as ideal Triple-A insurance, a veteran slugger and solid character guy who would produce at the plate and serve as a good role model for younger players at Buffalo. When the Jays called him up, he had just been honoured as the International League’s player of the month. He was batting .337 with 18 RBIs and a .975 OPS.
How long he remains a Blue Jay is anybody’s guess. Actually, if anybody were to guess, they might pre- dict a short stay, assuming that Michael Saunders will return to left field soon, wonky knee and all. Meanwhile, Colabello is happy just to have a playing job. What’s more, he expects this summer to be special because his dad, who just retired from his high-school teaching job, will get to see him play more often.
Their relationship is close, only in part because of their shared baseball heritage. Lou Colabello was a good pitcher in Italy and pitched for that country in the 1984 Olympics, taking a shellacking from the powerful U.S. team.
“When they (announced), ‘Pitching for Italy, from Milford, Massachusetts, Lou Colabello,’ ‘ He said he got more boos than he ever heard in his life,’ “Chris recalled.
Lou logged only one out — he got Mark McGwire on a fly ball — and gave up a three-run homer to Will Clark.
Years later, Chris met Clark and asked if remembered that Olympic homer against Italy.
“He said, ‘Yeah, left-hander, breaking ball.’ I said, ‘ That was my dad! He goes, ‘ He hung that.’ So I had him sign a ball, ‘Dear Lou, you hang ‘em, we bang ‘em. Will Clark.’ “
Colabello is familiar with Canada, having played in Quebec City and Ottawa in his independent-league days. Quebec City, he said, was just about everybody’s favourite road trip, and it was particularly special for him.
“It has a very European feel to it,” he said. “So having grown up in Italy, it was interesting to see that side of things. It almost felt like actually being in Europe again.”
Indy ball is rife with long bus rides, second-rate motels and small crowds. But Colabello has no complaints.
“At the end of the day, I got to play baseball,” he said, “and that’s all that matters.”
The more I played, the more I believed in myself. ... I believe in me