Even though he was fully expecting the phone call that changed his life just more than a week ago,University of Kentucky pitcher Carson Colemanwas still nervous as he waited with his family for the end of the 48-hour dead period during which Major League Baseball teams were barred from signing undrafted rookies to free-agent contracts.

Mere seconds after the moratorium expired, Coleman was on the phone accepting an offer to become a member of one of baseball’s most fabled franchises.

“You kind of have an idea what’s going to happen before the time comes. I was up sitting at the kitchen table with my family and my girlfriend just staring at my phone,” Coleman told the Herald-Leader in a recent phone interview. “After talking to all the teams I’m hoping the Yankees are going to call and if they do, I’m going to commit to the Yankees. Then the Yankees called pretty much right at 9 a.m. It was funny, when I was on the phone with the Yankees, the Astros and the Nationals both called me and I had to call them back and let them know that I was going to be signing with the Yankees.

“Being a baseball player is something you think about and dream of when you’re little, but when it actually becomes reality it’s absolutely insane. When it finally comes true it’s the most exciting moment of your life.”

It wasn’t just the historic allure of their brand that prompted Coleman to sign with theNew York Yankees; although that certainly didn’t hurt. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Lexington native felt their organization offered him the best chance to develop his burgeoning talents and make it to the majors.

“I’d be lying if I said that it being the Yankees doesn’t make it that much more exciting, but their player development in their organization is second to none, especially when it comes to pitching. And I’m still looking to develop a lot more. They were the best fit for me,” Coleman said.

Strikeout savvy

Looking at Coleman’s accomplishments during his run at UK, it’s hard to believe he’s relatively green on the mound. He became a full-time pitcher for the first time as a Wildcats freshman in 2017, and his progress was delayed when he was forced to redshirt after taking a line drive to the face during batting practice — a frightening accident that required two rounds of surgery.

Coleman returned in 2018 and was solid out of the bullpen, going 3-0 with a 3.15 earned run average and 32 strikeouts in 20 appearances. After a sophomore season in which he struck out 36 batters in 28 innings, he was selected in the 33rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays but elected to return to Kentucky for one more year.

Coleman made six appearances this season, which was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic. He struck out 13 batters and allowed opponents to hit just .190. The Lexington Catholic graduate ended his Kentucky career having averaged 13.58 strikeouts per nine innings, the highest mark of any Wildcats pitcher since at least 1979.

Coleman is eager to get to work building on that résumé and pursuing a professional baseball career, but with the uncertainty surrounding the MLB season because of the pandemic he’s being forced to exercise patience as he waits for word on when things will get rolling.

“Not knowing when things are going to get started or what’s going to happen has been strange,” Coleman said. “They haven’t even told any of the Yankee draftees or signees when we’ll be taking our physicals, so we’ve still got a question mark there. They’ve just told us to stay in shape but not do anything too crazy. Keep exercising and playing catch but don’t do anything too high-intensity … But the teams are in the same boat, and obviously their biggest priority is trying to make sure a 2020 baseball season happens.”

Ex-Cat compatriots

In the meantime, Coleman has a useful resource to lean on. He’s close friends with formerUK star Zack Thompson, who was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the2019 MLB Draft. Thompson drove from his home in Indiana to be with Coleman and his family last Sunday when the Yankees made the phone call that made Coleman a professional baseball player.

“That was really special, it meant a lot to me that he came down,” Coleman said.

Though the Yankees have not been able to tell him when the season might begin, they have told him he’ll probably be assigned to their Gulf Coast League rookie-ball affiliate in Tampa, Fla. Coleman plans to continue leaning on Thompson for advice, and he’s already gotten some good direction from his buddy.

“Zack is probably my best friend, I talk to him constantly,” Coleman said. “I think the biggest thing Zack said that he’s learned is how loose and simple the guys try to keep it as far as actually playing the game. It’s definitely a grind and you have to get to work and perform. But he said the biggest thing he’s learned is how a lot of these big-leaguers just keep it simple. There’s a lot of guys out there that overthink it. Having fun is one of the most important things and once guys figure that out it can definitely help your career in a big way, so that’s what I plan to do.”

Josh Sullivan

Lexington Herald-Leader

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Josh Sullivan has worked at the Herald-Leader for more than 10 years in multiple capacities, including as a news assistant, page designer, copy editor and sports reporter. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and a Lexington native.Support my work with a digital subscription