Paints’ Eric Colaco named Prospect League's top Pro Prospect

Chillicothe's Eric Colaco (Denison University) has been named the 2024 Prospect League Roland Hemond Pro Prospect of the Year by a league-wide vote of the circuit's 18 field managers.

The reigning NCAA Division III Player of the Year was a consistent league-leader throughout the summer, leading the league with 23 extra-base hits and ranking second in batting average (.396), total bases (103) and sacrifice flies (6), third in slugging (.628) and runs scored (53), fourth in home runs (7) and RBIs (46), fifth in hits (65), doubles (15) and stolen bases (38) and seventh in on base percentage (.462). Colaco also recorded a 1.090 OPS and collected 25 multi-hit games.

Colaco recorded a season-high 14-game hit streak between June 18 and  July 8, hitting .482 with 27 hits, six doubles, four home runs, 22 RBIs, 24 runs scored. He slugged .814 during that stretch, had an on-base percentage of .515 and went 12-12 in stolen bases.

Colaco is the first Paint to earn the honor as the league's top professional prospect since 2018 when Dillon Dingler, who recnetly made his Major League Baseball debut with the Detroit Tigers, received the honor. Chillicothe's Ronnie Dawson won the award in 2014, eventually making his MLB debut in 2021 with the Houston Astros. Jeff Holm was the first Paint to earn the honor in 2010, later playing four seasons of Minor League Baseball in the Tigers organization.

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