Jharel Leandre Cotton (born January 19, 1992) is an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
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 is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the
Oakland Athletics,
Texas Rangers,
Minnesota Twins and
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
. Cotton 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 p ...
at
East Carolina University, and was drafted by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
in the 20th round of the
2012 MLB Draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto ...
.
College career
Cotton 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 p ...
at
Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College (Miami Dade, MDC or Dade) is a public college in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1959, it has a total of eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. It is the largest college in the Florida College S ...
in 2010 and 2011. After he was not taken in the
2010 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
First-round selections
The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pi ...
, the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
offered him a contract as an
undrafted 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 ...
, but he declined the offer and returned to Miami Dade. He was then drafted by the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in the 28th round of the
2011 MLB Draft
The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...
, but did not sign and transferred to
East Carolina University.
Professional career
Los Angeles Dodgers
After one year at East Carolina, Cotton was drafted by the Dodgers in the 20th round of the
2012 MLB Draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto ...
. He signed this time and made his professional debut with the
Ogden Raptors
The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field.
Pitcher ...
. Cotton spent 2013 with the
Great Lakes Loons
The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007.
Histor ...
,
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and Double-A
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...
. Cotton missed the first two months of the 2015 season, recovering from a broken left wrist. He pitched in one game for the Great Lakes and four for Rancho Cucamonga before being promoted to the Double-A
Tulsa Drillers. In late August, he was promoted to the Triple-A
Oklahoma City Dodgers
The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...
and tried out for a potential bullpen callup to Los Angeles. Between the four levels he appeared in 21 games (with 11 starts) and was 6–2 with a 2.45 ERA.
The Dodgers added Cotton to their 40-man roster after the season. He began 2016 in the starting rotation for Oklahoma City and was selected to participate for the world team at the 2016
All-Star Futures Game. During the game, Cotton only faced one batter, throwing merely three pitches against Phillies outfielder
Dylan Cozens. However, Cozens flied out, paving the way for Cotton to pick up the win after teammate
Yoan Moncada hit a game-winning Home Run for the World Team.
Oakland Athletics
On August 1, 2016, the Dodgers traded Cotton,
Grant Holmes
Harrison Grant Holmes (born March 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.
Career
Holmes atten ...
, and
Frankie Montas
Francellis Montas Luna (born March 21, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics.
Montas signed a ...
to the
Oakland Athletics for
Rich Hill and
Josh Reddick
William Joshua Reddick (born February 19, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder who plays for the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League. The Boston Red Sox selected Reddick in the 17th round of the 2006 MLB draft, and he ...
. He was assigned to the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds. Cotton retired the first 26
Round Rock Express
The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...
batters he faced on August 9, but allowed a
triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
with two outs in the ninth inning, just missing a
perfect game
Perfect game may refer to:
Sports
* Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners
* Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game
* Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...
.
He was called up to the Athletics on September 7 to make his major league debut. Cotton began the season in the A's rotation but after starting off slowly he was sent down to AAA. He was soon after called up again but was sent down back to AAA. Cotton's splits between home and road were drastically apart, as at home he was 4-6 with 6.98 ERA while on the road he was 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA. On March 22, 2018, Cotton underwent
Tommy John surgery and missed the 2018 season. In 2019, Cotton began his rehab by pitching for the Single-A
Stockton Ports but was set back in May by a hamstring injury and elected to have surgery to fix the issue. Cotton returned to the mound in July and pitched for the Triple-A
Las Vegas Aviators
The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada ...
.
Cotton was designated for assignment on November 20, 2019.
Chicago Cubs
On November 23, 2019, Cotton was traded to the
Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash considerations. On August 16, 2020, Cotton was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and was assigned to the team's alternate training site in South Bend, but was released by the organization on September 5, 2020.
Texas Rangers
On December 14, 2020, Cotton signed a minor league contract with the
Texas Rangers organization. On July 30, 2021, Texas selected Cotton's contract and promoted him to the active roster. Cotton finished the 2021 season with Texas, going 2–0 with a 3.52 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings.
Minnesota Twins
On November 5, 2021, Cotton was claimed off waivers by the
Minnesota Twins.
On November 30, Cotton signed a $700,000 contract with the Twins, avoiding salary arbitration. He was designated for assignment on May 17, 2022. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on May 19. He had his contract selected again on June 3 and was returned to Triple-
A on June 6. He had his contract selected for a third time on June 8. He was designated for assignment again on August 2, 2022. He had his contract selected for a fourth time on September 11, 2022. On September 16, Cotton was designated for assignment.
San Francisco Giants
On September 18, 2022, Cotton was claimed off waivers by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
. On October 20, he was sent outright to Triple-A and elected free agency on October 21.
Personal
His brother, Jamaine Cotton, pitched in the
Houston Astros organization from 2010 to 2014.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Jharel
1992 births
Living people
People from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Major League Baseball players from the United States Virgin Islands
Major League Baseball pitchers
Oakland Athletics players
Texas Rangers players
Minnesota Twins players
San Francisco Giants players
East Carolina Pirates baseball players
Miami Dade Sharks baseball players
Ogden Raptors players
Great Lakes Loons players
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
Tulsa Drillers players
Oklahoma City Dodgers players
Glendale Desert Dogs players
Nashville Sounds players
Stockton Ports players
Las Vegas Aviators players
Round Rock Express players
St. Paul Saints players