In 2023, Damiano Palmegiaini had the most successful year of his career, posting a .255/.365/.478 slash line with 23 home runs across AA New Hampshire and AAA Buffalo.
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Damiano regarding his early life and immigration from Venezuela to Surrey, British Columbia at 4 years old.
Photo Via Jason Hanna/MLB Photos via (Getty Images)
Get To Know Damiano
At the age of 4, Damiano Palmegiani moved to British Columbia with his family from Venezuela. On his mother's side, he is fully Venezuelan, while his father has roots in Spain and Italy. Off the field, he enjoys going to the movie theatre and playing video games.
His Development Over the Past Year
On September 1st, 2023, Damiano was called up to AAA Buffalo from AA New Hampshire.
In 20 games with the Bisons, Damiano impressed, recording a .981 OPS and 4 home runs. When asked about what surprised him most about Triple-A, Damiano said: "Nothing really surprised me in Buffalo, but I admired the professionalism all my teammates carried with them whether they had MLB service time or not (yet). I learned a lot by simply being around them". As for what he learned most this offseason, the 24-year-old noted: "This offseason, I learned to take it one day at a time and enjoy the days where I’m not expected to do too much. You can enjoy the downtime even if you’re working hard."
Damiano's connection to Canada
Damiano's 2023 was an eventful one, starting in the World Baseball Classic and ending off winning the Arizona Fall League championship. I asked Damiano about his time at the WBC, and what it meant to represent Team Canada: "The WBC was an awesome experience. I proudly represented a country that has provided so much to me in my life. Watching the cool-headed guys during big moments showed me what it looks like firsthand to perform in big spots so I took away some good knowledge from that. Canada means everything to me. Growing up in BC shaped who I am as a person and I’m extremely proud to have the environment I had around me. What is most special to me is the sense of belonging and welcome my family feels in the country after moving here close to 20 years ago. There are a lot of people who feel the same way as I do and it’s a credit to the Canadian identity".
Damiano has his sights set on living out his dream and playing for the Blue Jays, he states: "Whenever I go to work for them, I think back to myself as a kid watching them play, so I don’t take it for granted."
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