Caleb Kent Cotham (born November 6, 1987) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
, who played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
(2015) and
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
(2016). He is currently the
pitching coach
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...
for the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
. In 2019–20, Cotham served as the Reds’ assistant pitching coach, eventually becoming the team's director of pitching.
Early life
Cotham attended
Mount Juliet High School
Mt. Juliet High School (MJHS) is a public high school located in Wilson County, Tennessee. It is not within Mt. Juliet city limits, but it serves parts of southern and eastern Mt. Juliet. The principal is Beverly Sharpe.
In 2008, MJHS moved f ...
in
Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Mt. Juliet (also referred to as Mount Juliet) is a city located in western Wilson County, Tennessee. A suburb of Nashville, it is approximately east of downtown Nashville. Mt. Juliet is located mostly between two major national east-west routes, ...
. He graduated in 2006. Cotham attended
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
, where he played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Vanderbilt Commodores are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's team ...
. In 2008 and 2009, Cotham played
collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
with the
Brewster Whitecaps
The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
.
Professional career
New York Yankees
![IMG 4417 Caleb Cotham](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/IMG_4417_Caleb_Cotham.jpg)
The New York Yankees selected Cotham in the fifth round of the
2009 Major League Baseball draft. He became a
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...
in 2015, recording a 2.21
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) in 57
innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...
in the minor leagues.
The Yankees promoted Cotham to the majors for the first time on July 29, 2015. On the same day, he made his Major League debut with the Yankees, pitching one and two-thirds innings, giving up two hits, and striking out four.
Cincinnati Reds
On December 28, 2015, the Yankees traded Cotham,
Eric Jagielo,
Rookie Davis, and
Tony Renda
Anthony John Renda (born January 24, 1991) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox. Before his professional career, he attended the Univ ...
to the Cincinnati Reds, in exchange for
Aroldis Chapman
Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz (; born February 28, 1988) is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and C ...
. He made the Reds'
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
roster in 2016. He underwent season-ending knee surgery in August, finishing the 2016 season with an 0–3
win–loss record
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
and a 7.40 ERA. The Reds outrighted Cotham from their
40-man roster
A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...
after the season. He opted to become a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.
Seattle Mariners
On February 28, 2017, Cotham signed a minor league deal with the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
. On March 10, 2017, Cotham announced his retirement via his
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account.
Coaching career
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds hired Cotham as their assistant pitching coach before the 2019 season, where he worked with
Derek Johnson, his pitching coach at Vanderbilt. The Reds gave Cotham the added title of director of pitching, following the 2019 season.
Philadelphia Phililes
On November 20, 2020, Cotham was hired to be the team's new pitching coach.
References
External links
Vanderbilt Commodores bio*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotham, Caleb
1987 births
Living people
Baseball coaches from Tennessee
Baseball players from Tennessee
Brewster Whitecaps players
Charleston RiverDogs players
Cincinnati Reds coaches
Cincinnati Reds players
Gulf Coast Yankees players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball pitching coaches
New York Yankees players
People from Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Philadelphia Phillies coaches
Scottsdale Scorpions players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players
Staten Island Yankees players
Tampa Yankees players
Trenton Thunder players
Vanderbilt Commodores baseball players