Kendall Coleman Tracking Success
Have you ever dreamed of coming out of high school, be drafted by the New York Yankees, and be able to play professional baseball at the age of 18? That is exactly what happened for RiverDogs outfielder Kendall Coleman.
Coleman is six foot- four 190-pound outfielder that can absolutely cover ground anywhere you place him. The Rockwall, Texas native had a successful high school career which is where he was noticed by Major League scouts. In his senior season, Coleman racked up a .357 average with three home runs 30 RBI and 14 stolen bases with the Texas Blackhawks, a club baseball team.
"I had a great group of coaches on my club team, and high school as well, but my club coaches really knew what they were talking about," explained Coleman of that summer. "Hitting is mainly a mindset, so we just focused on the mindset of hitting and I had a really good summer and a really good fall."
After his high school career had concluded, Coleman got a call in June. It was the New York Yankees telling him they had selected him in the 11th round of the 2013 amateur draft. Coleman was asked if he knew the Yankees were interested in him and where he was expected to go in the draft. "I knew the Yankees were interested in me because we had been in constant contact, along with a number of other teams, but none of those were as storied as the Yankees so obviously the Yankees were who I hoped I was drafted by. Draft day, I actually had graduation rehearsal so I had to wake up early and go to graduation rehearsal, and then while I was there, the draft already started. I had to rush home and sat down with my mom the high school state playoffs were on, so we turned that on. She opened up her laptop and we turned on the draft. My area scout, Mike Leisinger, was calling me back and forth, and one time I picked up the phone and he said 'Kendall, we're about to take you in the 11th.' So I said, 'alright, I'm ready' and that was that."
Coming out of high school, Coleman was committed to play baseball at the University of Iowa, but the team in pinstripes persuaded him otherwise. "I went up to Iowa on my official visit and enjoyed it, I love the school. They were trying to turn things around with the baseball program so that's why I had decided to go there," said Coleman. "On deciding whether to sign or go to school, it really wasn't that difficult for me. I just wanted to play baseball and I wanted to get started as fast as possible. The sooner I could get into the organization and the system, I felt like that was the better I was going to develop. And my mom was on my side the whole time. And I'm going to go back and get my degree at one point like my mom wants me to."
Coleman entered his professional baseball career starting off with the Gulf Coast League Yankees and stayed there for a prolonged two years, but it wasn't because of his on field play. "It was all injury related. I think it was five games into my very first summer; I got injured playing the Astros running down a fly ball. I injured my quad and I came back at the end of the year and played the last few games so I basically watched that whole season. Then the next year, I actually had shin problems that knocked me out and put me on the 60-day DL. Even last year, I broke my thumb diving for a ball on the very first day of Spring Training. I missed Spring Training and missed a couple of weeks of extended [spring training] and rehab went well so I went off to Pulaski."
As Coleman continues to move along up the ladder in professional baseball, he'll have to keep adjusting to the higher levels of play. He was asked what the biggest adjustment to pro ball was and what changes had to be made. "I don't think I realized at first how much the velocity would change. In high school, you could get away with not being on time because the velocity just isn't what it is here. You can get away with being late and even bad mechanics sometimes but I quickly found out that you have to be on time and be ready to hit for every single pitch or you're not going to hit the fastball. Early in the season, I was just kind of struggling. I was missing my fastball, missing my pitch, and [our hitting coach Edwar Gonzalez] and I tried to make some adjustments and it basically just came down to being ready for the fastball and when I get it, don't miss it. I had a stretch there where I felt like I was putting a good swing on everything and everything was dropping in. The hitting coach and I worked hard last year and seemed to figure it out a little bit at the end."
Last season in Pulaski, Coleman broke out as the Texas native hit .236 in 58 games, which produced 24 RBI's, 36 runs, and 14 extra base hits.
It has been proven time and time again that no matter where Kendall ends up, his mom and family are always behind him supporting what he does. "My mom, my sister, my great aunt, and a family friend came down for the first series and saw the first four games. They were very excited because my mom doesn't get to see me play much. And now that we actually broadcast the games, she's so happy. My mom and sister are always there for me. When I was going through injury struggles, my mom was just trying to keep my head up because it's tough to get drafted and not get to play the game. And even when you were playing, you weren't having much success so my mom was always there for me and that's great. And we're very big on our faith so she's always reminding me God's always there to talk to you and stay heavy on your word because that'll lead you on the right path. I don't know what I'd do without my mom; she's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."
Coleman continues to make strides in his success of being a professional baseball player. The RiverDog outfielder holds a .202 batting average with 17 RBI's, 10 runs, 17 walks, and two home runs in his 37 games played this season.
Coleman was added to the 7-Day DL 5/28, but is expected to return to the lineup by 6/5.