Blue Jays’ Damiano Palmegiani Looks To Build On Big 2023 Season
After a 2023 season that began with Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic and ended with an Arizona Fall League championship, Damiano Palmegiani is positioned for big things in 2024.
The 23-year-old third baseman is very much on the Blue Jays’ radar after hitting 23 home runs with 33 doubles and 73 walks in 128 games, mostly at Double-A New Hampshire before a 20-game stint at Triple-A Buffalo.
Palmegiani is expected to begin this season back at Buffalo, but with power, discipline and a sound approach at the plate, he has a chance to factor in Toronto in 2024.
“This is all stuff you dream about in your head on how it’s going to go and what you want to happen and how you want to do in these situations,” Palmegiani said.
“Being able to put myself in these positions and perform through them and enjoy the moment at the same time, I think I’m just proud of how all these steps have come one after the other.”
Born in Venezuela and raised in Surrey, B.C., Palmegiani was drafted in the 14th round in 2021 out of the College of Southern Nevada, a juco program.
Palmegiani opened eyes in 2022 when he mashed 24 homers between Low-A Dunedin and High-A Vancouver. A year later, his swing and his approach played at more advanced levels, resulting in a .255/.365/.478 slash line.
Blue Jays farm director Joe Sclafani described Palmegiani as coming “from that same Davis Schneider mold,” saying his success at the plate is the product of a methodically thought-out plan in the batter’s box.
“He just really dominates the zone, makes good decisions, swings at the right pitches. He’s got a ton of juice,” Sclafani said. “He’s set himself up nicely for next year.”
