The St. Louis Cardinals had high hopes for Paul Coleman, taking Coleman in the first round of the 1989 draft.He'd had a stellar senior year at Frankston High in his Texas hometown, eight home runs in 24 games. He also starred at his high school in football, making the comparisons obvious.
"We've been looking for a power hitter and we think Coleman is the type," Cardinals scouting director Fred McAlister told The Associated Press. "He's built along the lines of a Bo Jackson."
As it turned out, Coleman was hardly AA material, let alone Bo Jackson material.
Sent to rookie league Johnson City, Coleman hit just .233, hitting three home runs. At single-A Savannah, Coleman was worse, he increased his home run total to six, but hit a paltry .209.
Coleman played 45 games in 1991 at single A Springfield and 21 at high A St. Petersburg for 1992. He wouldn't play a full season until 1993 at AA Arkansas. Still, his average didn't get above .250. It was his final year in affiliated ball.
He returned for a season in the Texas-Louisiana League in 1996, and his trip from sixth overall pick, with his $160,000 signing bonus, to out of baseball was complete.
As with many drafts, picks are often judged by who else was available. While Coleman never made it above AA, the seventh overall pick made it further. With the seventh pick, the White Sox took Auburn University's Frank Thomas.
- Bangor Daily News, Associated Press, June 6, 1989: Orioles draft McDonald with 1st pick
Cards Reviewed: 123/880 - 14.0%
Made the Majors: 79 - 64%
Never Made the Majors: 44 - 36%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 32
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 43
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