Chaminade HS Alum on the Fast Track To Making Major League Debut
Considering his .341 batting average and the six runs he drove home in the first 14 games of his professional baseball career, it might feel like slugger Matt Colantonio is an overnight success. But for the best hitter to come out of Chaminade High School since 1980’s Minnesota Twins great Gene Larkin, the road to the big leagues has been long and winding.
Colantonio, 22, was selected in the 22nd round, 683rd overall, by the San Diego Padres in this year’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. After signing with the franchise, he reported to a Rookie League baseball mini-camp in Phoenix, Arizona before traveling to Oregon for work in the Northwest League with the Padres’ Class A affiliate: the Eugene Emeralds.
The Padres originally took notice of Colantonio because he is a catcher who can hit for both power and average, which is rare in a position where the primary focus is typically defense and the ability to handle a pitching staff. If his first 14 games in the professional ranks are any indication, Colantonio could be on the fast track to the big league squad. He ranks second on the Emeralds in batting average (.324), third in on base percentage (.426) and eighth in hits (14). The San Diego Padres hold a disappointing 40-52 overall record midway through the 2011 season and haven’t received much offensive production from the catcher position, so Colantonio’s opportunity at the major league level could be coming soon.
Colantonio got his start at Chaminade High School as a member of the Flyers’ baseball squad from 2003-2007. In his senior year at the school, Colantonio led the team with a .685 on-base percentage and 26 runs batted in, while leading the Flyers to a CHSAA title. After he graduated from Chaminade, Colantonio went on to play for the Brown University Bears, where he was a four-year starter. He blossomed into a dominant power hitter in his time at Brown, as he led the baseball team in runs scored, total hits, doubles, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage in his senior season. Colantonio also led the squad with a .301 average and started all 42 games behind the plate. Brown has a Division I baseball program, so Colantonio gained plenty of valuable experience facing up against top-flight pitchers.
“Matt was an all-around player for us,” said Brown Bears assistant coach Brian Murphy. “Catcher is a defensive-minded position, but he was our most complete offensive player. He also took a lot of pride in his relationships with the pitching staff and served as our team captain. I would just tell him to enjoy his opportunity and to do everything possible to play for as long as he can,” Murphy said.
While Colantonio was undoubtedly a top-flight athlete at Brown, his professional work ethic stemmed from learning baseball fundmentals under coaches Jack Lyons and Mike Pienkos during his time at Chaminade. “Playing baseball on Long Island and at Chaminade helped my athletic career because it’s where my foundations of baseball were formed,” said Colantonio. “Lyons and Pienkos were old-school style coaches and they stressed playing the game the correct way. I think that has been the greatest help to my baseball career.”
From coast to coast, Colantonio has gained a reputation of being a tough hitter with veteran poise at the plate. While he is busy playing baseball 3,000 miles from his Garden City home, the scrappy 22-year-old keeps his Long Island roots at heart. “Its great to represent Garden City and Chaminade,” added Colantonio. “Garden City isn’t known for it’s baseball so it feels good to represent where I first started playing and be a role model for kids who share the same dreams as I did. It feels especially good to represent Chaminade. We had such a great team and Coaches Pienkos, Lyons, and Palmieri were instrumental in guiding my game in the right direction.”
