Sioux Falls Native Dusty Coleman Returns to MLB

Sioux Falls native Dusty Coleman made his return to Major League Baseball on Monday with the San Diego Padres.

Batting seventh and starting at shortstop, the Sioux Falls O'Gorman graduate appeared in his fifth career MLB game. Coleman made four appearances with the Kansas City Royals back in 2015.

Coleman went 0-for-3 in his San Diego debut. He is 0-for-8 in his career.

Despite only hitting .209 at Triple-A El Paso, Coleman's flashed solid power, hitting 14 home runs this season. With multiple injuries to the San Diego middle infield and rookie Allen Cordoba struggling, Coleman has an important opportunity on his hands.

As a 30-year-old professional baseball player, Coleman's chances to make a 25-man roster are dwindling. His window of opportunity for the Padres is probably short given San Diego's recent injuries and its influx of young prospects and talent. The Padres have the youngest roster in MLB with an average age of 26.9 years.

And it doesn't help that Father Time is undefeated.

Coleman is older than the average MLB player, and that disparity is more dramatic in the minor leagues. Fangraphs created a table in 2012 that analyzed the percentage of players at or above a certain age at each minor league level.

Based on statistical data, Fangraphs considers players in the red percentages to be "old" at their specific level. By that, Fangraphs means that balance of a player's age and likelihood of him panning out is no longer worth it for MLB organizations. Using Fangraphs table and model, Coleman is considered "old."

This in no way means Coleman can't pan out and become a quality MLB player, whether that be as a platoon guy or an everyday starter.

But it means that Father Time is ramping up the fight against Coleman. He can't afford to waste any opportunities he earns, including this stint with the San Diego Padres.

With his family, friends, the city of Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota behind him, he'll have all the support he needs. Coleman just needs his hard work to pay off. Now.