The pitcher appeared for seven different teams in a 15-year career, and is part of the first three-generation family of pitchers in MLB history.
The MLB Draft will celebrate its 60th anniversary next week, a tradition that traces to 1965. Joe Coleman wasn’t the first player selected in the inaugural draft, but the pitcher taken third overall by the Washington Senators was the first-ever draft pick to reach the major leagues, less than four months after he was drafted out of Natick (Mass.) High School.
Coleman, whose father and son also played in the major leagues, died Wednesday at age 78.
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A right-handed pitcher, Coleman played 15 seasons at the MLB level for the Senators (1965-70), Detroit Tigers (1971-76), Chicago Cubs (1976), Oakland Athletics (1977-78), Toronto Blue Jays (1978), San Francisco Giants (1979) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1979).
Coleman retired with a career record of 142-135 and a 3.
