Dusty Coleman Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Dustin Michael Coleman
Born 04/20/1987 in Sioux Falls, SD
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Wichita State
Debut 07/03/2015
Drafted in the 28th round (844th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2008 (signed for $675,000).

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Coleman offers more all-around potential than most shortstops in the 2008 draft. He's a versatile 6-foot-2, 185-pound athlete who also starred as a quarterback and point guard in high school and has taken the mound on occasion for Wichita State. He has good strength and power potential for a shortstop, and he drew a lot of attention when he homered twice in three games at Long Beach State's unforgiving Blair Field early in the season. Coleman homered just four times in his next 50 games, however, as teams were more reluctant to challenge him. He'll need to cut down on his swing, do a better job of recognizing breaking pitches and tighten his strike zone to do damage on a more consistent basis. He's a solid-average runner with good instincts on the bases. Defensively, Coleman has smooth actions and a strong arm. He has been clocked as high as 92 mph and flashed an intriguing slider in his infrequent outings on the mound. Coleman's talent warrants a fourth- to sixth-round selection, but his extra leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore could scare teams off. If he returned to Wichita State and improved offensively, he could factor into the first three rounds of the 2009 draft.

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Coleman had a decorated athletic career as a high schooler in South Dakota. He was an all-state shortstop his junior and senior seasons; an all-state quarterback for two years, leading his high school to back-to-back state championships; and an all-state basketball player and finalist for the state's Mr. Basketball award as a senior. Undrafted out of high school. Coleman headed to Wichita State and became the team's starting shortstop as a freshman. A draft-eligible sophomore in 2008, he slid to the 28th round because of questionable signability. But when Coleman had an all-star summer in the Cape Cod League, batting .330, the A's anted up $675,00 to sign him. His strength, particularly in his hands, lends itself to above-average bat speed and power to the opposite field. He's an aggressive hitter who chases pitches out of the strike zone. His swing gets long and he needs to do a better job recognizing and handling breaking balls. He's a solid-average runner with good instincts on the basepaths. Coleman's athleticism is evident at shortstop, where he has smooth actions, solid range, a quick first step and a strong arm. He was clocked up to 92 mph when he took the mound at times for Wichita State. Coleman and Jason Christian, a 2008 fifth-rounder, both are ready for low Class A, but to get them both playing time at shortstop, Oakland will try to push one of them to high Class A.

The Athletics landed two of the better all-around shortstops in Christian and Coleman, who headed to the Cape Cod League after the draft and earned himself a $675,000 bonus with an all-star summer. Their tools are comparable, with Coleman projecting to be slightly better with the bat and not quite as good with the glove. Coleman has more power potential and can drive balls to the opposite field, though he needs to tone down his swing and his aggressiveness. He's a solid-average runner with good instincts on the bases. Defensively, his arm and range are solid.