DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Move over Astro, there's a new top dog in town.
The Blue Jays replaced No. 1 starter David Price during the offseason, and now it appears as though they've found a replacement for his dog, as well. This time it's Chris Colabello's pooch who is getting all of the attention.
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Colabello's four-month old French bulldog, Clutch, made an appearance at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium on Monday afternoon. Toronto's first baseman added Clutch to his family during the offseason and joked that once Price left town with his French bulldog, Astro, someone needed to step up and fill the void.
"He has his own jersey now, too," Colabello said. "He hasn't really gotten good with the ball yet, but he has a little mini bat at home. The bat he's all right with; he likes playing with that."
Clutch isn't quite done growing, and before too long, he'll likely reach his maximum weight of approximately 20 pounds. He might be new to the scene, but he has already become a star with his own Instagram account, where the dog is seen posing with Kevin Pillar, Marcus Stroman and a number of other Blue Jays players.
Colabello met with the media after Monday's intrasquad game, but it was Clutch who ended up stealing the show. He later donned his own No. 15 Blue Jays jersey while his owner went through the routine of doing promotional material for the upcoming Blue Jays season.
The Blue Jays will open their home schedule on April 8 against the Red Sox. That's when Price and Astro will make their return, but by the looks of things, Clutch will be more than ready for the challenge.
"I've loved Frenchies for a long time," Colabello said. "[My wife] and I have talked about doing it for a long time, but this seemed like the right time, right Clutchy? So we got this guy. He's got a maple leaf on his chest, but you can't really see it.
"Look at his ears. Look at his handsome face."