On Friday, June 16 left-hander Chris Cotton was assigned to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League by the Dodgers. Cotton had been released by the Houston Astros on March 23 and signed by the Dodgers on April 11.

The Shreveport, Louisiana native graduated from Byrd High School in 2009 where as a senior he compiled a 9-1 record with a 1.46 ERA and was the winning pitcher in all three of Byrd’s state playoff games. In recognition of his strong year on the mound he was named Shreveport/Bossier All-City Pitcher of the Year.

In the June draft in 2009 Cotton got exactly zero bites from Division I colleges and more or less gave up any hope of playing ball at the next level. He began his work on a degree in International Trade and Finance at Louisiana State University and then decided to test the baseball waters with the prestigious school. Known for a bit of a bulldog-like temperament, he walked on to the baseball field and persisted until he was offered a roster spot at the beginning of the 2010 season.

Cotton went on to pitch four years with the Tigers posting a 13-1 record in relief with a 2.27 ERA and a WHIP of 0.84.

Chris Cotton
(Photo credit – Sean Flynn)

In 2013, he was moved into the closer’s role with LSU and came into the Super Regional round with 16 saves which matched the best season in LSU history. Nine of those saves came against his Southeastern Conference foes and 13 were in games decided by 1-2 runs.

The 5’-10” / 166-pound Cotton was named SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player after his dazzling performance in the Tigers’ tournament win. He secured the win in the 5-4 finale over Vanderbilt while recording three saves in his first three tournament appearances. For the tournament, he pitched 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts in four appearances. He retired all 17 batters that he faced.

Cotton who sprinted in from the pen and who four years earlier felt his baseball career might be over, earned his nickname as the “Sheriff”.

His teammate, third baseman Alex Bregman, who went on to be selected by the Houston Astros with the second overall selection in the 2015 June Draft explained the nickname.

“We call him the “Sheriff” because he comes in and shuts everything down.”

The Houston Astros drafted Cotton with the first pick of the 14th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft completing a cycle that began when the left-hander went through walk-on tryouts and ended with one of the most dominant seasons for a reliever in Tigers history.

At the time of the draft, Astros Director of scouting Mike Elias was quoted as saying: “We love Chris Cotton. He’s from a big league factory at LSU and it’s a steal to get a lefty with that pedigree in the 14th round. Cotton’s bulldog mentality and deception of pitches are huge pluses.”

The now 26-year-old Cotton is by no means a power pitcher with a fastball topping out at 92 mph but he learned how to change speeds and locate his pitches saying, “You just have to be yourself, be comfortable with who you are. I know who I am, and who I’m not. I stay in my role. I change speeds, hit my spots, and stay ahead. If I do that, I can be successful.”

Baseball is one touch nut to crack and professional baseball has been an ongoing challenge for Chris Cotton as it is for basically all young players navigating the mine fields in minor league baseball. He is not ready to give up his dream while acknowledging how demanding the minor league baseball season can be.

“The most difficult part of minor leagues has to be the travel, the length of the season, and the uncertainty. Some bus trips can be as long as 14 hours. Once you get to triple A, the team takes flights and those aren’t that much better. Waking up at 3 am to make a 5 am flight to play that day isn’t the most ideal situation. The uncertainty comes with not knowing if you’ll move up, or down, or stay where you are. The living situations are very unstable and you’re constantly on the move. But with that being said I enjoy it and make the most out of everything. It’s a long season, but sure beats a 9-5 right now.”

Cotton has had success along the way while passing through the Houston Astros affiliates in Quad Cities, Lancaster, Corpus Christi and Tri-City. As a professional in his first three seasons, he holds an 8-9 record with a 2.95 ERA and has recorded 12 saves with 143 strikeouts in 91 appearances.

During the 2016 season, he found the going tough at the AAA-level with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League. Over 16 games and 34.2 innings pitched he posted an ERA of 5.71.

It is expected Chris Cotton will soon make his first appearance in the Dodgers organization with the Quakes and begin his climb up the ladder again.