Fantasy Spotlight: Chris Colabello
Throughout the month of March, theScore examines hitters who represent their team's most intriguing fantasy plays. This edition focuses on Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello.
2015 in Review: 360 PA, .321/.367/.520, 55 R, 15 HR, 54 RBI, 2 SB
The Good: Colabello began 2015 as the backup to Justin Smoak but ended up with 32 more at-bats over the course of the season. His 25.2% line-drive rate meant that balls were often landing in no man's land between the infield and outfield. That's why he was able to post a career-high .321 batting average and keep his bat in the lineup despite average power and poor defense.
It's also worth mentioning that Colabello hit in the middle of one of the most intimidating lineups in the majors.
The Bad: Here's the 4-1-1 on Colabello: his batting average for balls in play (BABIP) was literally .411. His extremely-high line-drive rate from 2015 defied all data about Colabello's hitting profile from two seasons with the Twins. With the league-average BABIP hovering around .300, it seems that Colabello was more than a little lucky at the dish.
Best Comparison: Los Angeles Angels 1B C.J. Cron
What's in Store: Regression is inevitable. Even after posting great BA and OBP numbers last season, he still hits just .249 against lefties and .272 against righties for his career. At age 32, it's unlikely that Colabello is destined to become one of the best late-bloomers in recent history.
It's possible that a change in his hitting mechanics completely overhauled his approach at the plate, but with the Jays looking to win now, they can't afford to wait out a slump if and when Colabello comes back down to earth. With Smoak a proven option, Toronto won't hesitate to go with the hot hand.
Draft Outlook: Colabello is only an option in the deepest of mixed-leagues and even the most optimistic projections for 2016 have him just outside the top-30 1B-eligible players. In AL-only leagues, Colabello will likely be selected in the late rounds, along with other fringe corner infielders like Cron and Mark Canha.