Steiner Stories: Damiano Palmegiani

When Damiano Palmegiani began the 2022 season, he told his dad that he would see him soon. As a kid who grew up in Surrey, B.C, he knew the possibility of playing in front of family and friends at Nat Bailey Stadium, so he told his family to expect him.

In June, after starting his first full professional baseball season with the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays, Palmegiani earned a promotion to the High-A Vancouver Canadians and fulfilled his promise.

His dad, integral in his upbringing in the local baseball scene, was his first call.

“I called him, and he asked why I wasn’t playing since I called during a game,” Palemgiani told CanadiansBaseball.com. “I said I was calling because I was on a bus to the airport to get to Vancouver and come home. He was pumped and super happy.”

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Palmegiani moved to Surrey when he was six years old and grew up playing with Cloverdale Minor Baseball until he was 13. With a caring group surrounding him in youth baseball, he moved onto provincial teams, played at the Baseball Canada Cup, and eventually moved to the U.S. to play junior college baseball at the College of Southern Nevada.

“I always knew that there was an opportunity here [in B.C.], that if I show up and do well, scouts and college coaches are here, and that’s a really special showcase,” he said. “Many American teammates don’t believe it when I tell them about it, but there’s a good opportunity here for talented players.”

While coming home to pay with the Canadians is nearly a dream fulfilled for Palemgiani, it wasn’t the initial plan for 2021 and 2022. After a year with the CSN Coyotes, the 22-year-old had committed to the University of Arizona Wildcats for the fall, an opportunity that would have seen him play on many of the MLB’s spring training fields with an elite collegiate program.

Instead, the Blue Jays drafted him 422nd overall in 2021, and he chose to dive right into the professional setting, skipping over the NCAA level. While it took him a little while to get rolling against pro-level pitchers, he has figured it out in his second season after playing 17 games with Dunedin in 2021.

Before the draft, he played with the State College Spikes in the MLB Draft League, further showcasing his skills to MLB scouts.

Sitting with his family on draft day, the calls were near endless with his agent. “The process is fun, but you just want to get it over with and start,” he said. “When my name popped up on the screen, and it was the Jays, it was a special moment.”

Once Palmegiani saw his name, he knew he was ready for pro ball. So after his single season with CSN, he skipped the NCAA level and isn’t looking back.

“I thought I could be better just getting thrown into the professional baseball setting rather than taking a year of school, so that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “As far as a college experience goes, I think I missed out on the best program in the U.S., but I’ll never regret the decision because I've gotten better from the moment I put on the Blue Jay uniform.”

For many throughout MiLB, there’s a difficult language barrier, with athletes coming from Spanish-speaking countries such as the Dominican Republic. However, Palmegiani is in a unique position, speaking Spanish at home in addition to English.

“There’s a lot of baseball culture that some guys just don’t get, so I’m pretty blessed that I can experience it in American English and Latino cultures.”

While skipping over the NCAA and experiencing baseball from a unique lens could apply to Palmegiani in any organization, it's a unique point in his career, getting to play at home and in the province he loves.

“I love British Columbia, the mountains, the ocean, the lakes, whatever it is. It’s home, and whenever I get back here, it’s tough for me to leave,” he said, knowing the goal is to move away and advance in baseball. “Whenever my playing days are over, which is hopefully in a long time, I’m probably going to move back here.”

For now, however, the third baseman is enjoying his time with the C’s, playing in front of family, friends, and dedicated Vancouver baseball fans