Matt Levins - The Hawk Eye / Submitted photos
Cody Gabella is right where he wants to be in life.
The 2010 Notre Dame High School graduate is married and has two sons. They live in the warm climate in Florida.
And most of all for Gabella, he is involved in baseball.
Gabella, the son of former Burlington Bees manager Jim Gabella, has been around the game for as long as he can remember. He grew up hanging out in the clubhouse and the dugout with his father. He learned the game from professionals and spent his whole life putting those skills into practice.
Gabella will open the 2025 season as the manager of the Columbus Clingstones, the Class AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves in Columbus, Georgia.
Gabella is doing exactly what he wanted to do since he first picked up a baseball some 35 years ago.
“I was drafted by the Padres in 2011 and spent three years with them as a player,” Gabella said. “At the end of my playing career, I began to look at the game through a different lens. I knew I wanted to stay in the game, either in player development or recruiting.”
As with many players, an injury brought Gabella’s playing career to a grinding halt. Having been around his father for so many years growing up, he knew what his next step entailed.
“We were playing in New York and I broke my wrist,” Gabella said. “I knew then it was time to stop playing and start coaching.”
Gabella began his coaching career with the GCL Cardinals and began working his way up the ladder. He also coached with the Johnson City Cardinals, the State College Spikes and Peoria Chiefs before moving over to the Atlanta Braves organization.
Gabella started with the Braves in 2022 in the Florida Complex League in North Port, Florida, working with entry-level players. In 2023 he managed the Augusta Green Jackets in the Class A Carolina League, then moved up to the high Class A Rome Emporers in the South Atlantic League last season.
Gabella is enjoying watching the players he works with move toward the parent club Atlanta Braves step by step, using the tools he helped them develop.
“It’s good to be able to follow the guys I’ve managed,” Gabella said. “I don’t get concerned with the level I’m coaching at. I just like working with the kids, teaching them skills and helping them succeed. The Braves are a great organization. They really develop their players well.”
Gabella said he is in no hurry to work his way to the Major Leagues. He is doing what he loves best — teaching baseball. That is where his passion for the game lies.
“I love working with the infielders. That’s more my background,” Gabella said.
Gabella has fond memories of his time in Burlington. Some of his best friends live in Burlington and Gabella and his wife try to get back to Burlington whenever they can, which is difficult with his busy schedule.
“My Dad managed the Bees for four years. That’s where I fell in love with the game. I think I was like 11 or 12 when we moved there,” Gabella said. “I used to hang out in the dugout and wear my jersey. That was my first experience going to games. I wanted to play. I wanted to be in the game forever.”
Gabella said when the calendar rolls over to a new year, he starts getting the itch to get back to doing what he loves.
“I work on a lot of stuff at home, like video stuff in the offseason,” Gabella siad. “Around Super Bowl time Spring Training hits. The minor league players start camp around the first week of March. I get to work with the infielders. That’s my main focus. We play some simulated games against other teams down here. Once the rosters are set for each club, I stay here in extended Spring Training and help guys get better.”
Gabella is a competitor, but his true passion lies in teaching the game. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to win each time his team takes the field.
“I hate losing more than I love winning,” Gabella said. “I have a lot of things to consider on game days. We all want to win, but in the long run my job is to develop players for the Braves.”
Gabella said he has three goals in the game.
“I want to stay in the game as long as I can,” Gabella said. “I don’t want to overthink my role. It’s not about me. It’s about helping these kids get better and move up the ladder. And I want to be a part of a team that wins the World Series. Those are my three main goals.”
Gabella is doing what he has wanted to do since he first picked up a baseball. He is living his dream every single day.
“The seed was planted early,” Gabella said. “I grew up around baseball. That’s all I knew. I just fell in love with it. Even after I stopped playing, I wanted to stay in the game. This is something I want to do the rest of my life.”