Jharel Cotton

Jharel Cotton

32-Year-Old PitcherP
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Jharel Cotton in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Twins in November of 2021. Waived by the Twins in September of 2022. Claimed off waivers by the Giants in September of 2022. Released by the Giants in October of 2022.
Heads to NPB
PFree Agent  
February 2, 2023
Cotton signed a contract with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball in late January.
ANALYSIS
Cotton was an effective starter for a brief stretch with the Athletics to close the 2016 season, but arm injuries derailed his chances to remain a regular member of a big-league rotation. He managed to rebound to put up decent numbers as a reliever in recent campaigns, including maintaining a 3.56 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 43 innings with the Twins and Giants in 2022. It's unclear what his role will be with the Buffaloes, though it's possible he could serve as a starter.
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Pitching Stats
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2022
2021
2019
2018
2017
2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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2017 MLB Game Log
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-16%
BAA vs RHP
2024
No Stats
2023
No Stats
2022
 
 
-16%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .239 78 20 10 16 5 0 3
Since 2022vs Right .200 104 19 10 18 3 0 4
2024vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Left .239 78 20 10 16 5 0 3
2022vs Right .200 104 19 10 18 3 0 4
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Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-30%
ERA at Home
2024
No Stats
2023
No Stats
2022
 
 
-30%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 3.00 1.25 24.0 1 1 0 6.8 4.5 1.5
Since 2022Away 4.26 1.26 19.0 3 1 0 9.9 3.8 1.4
2024Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Home 3.00 1.25 24.0 1 1 0 6.8 4.5 1.5
2022Away 4.26 1.26 19.0 3 1 0 9.9 3.8 1.4
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jharel Cotton See More
Collette Calls: 2023 NL Central Bold Predictions
February 8, 2023
Jason Collette tackles the NL Central with his next set of bold predictions. Find out why he's fading Lars Nootbaar and who he thinks will lead the Cubs in saves.
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
August 1, 2021
Erik Siegrist sifts through the fallout from a wild trade deadline as Craig Kimbrel is among the big names to join the AL player pool.
Collette Calls:  Accountability Part 2 -- Pitcher Bold Predictions
October 5, 2020
Jason Collette revisits his bold predictions for pitchers this season. Does not being a Belieber overshadow his big wins?
NL FAAB Factor: Early July Update
July 5, 2020
Jan Levine profiles NL players who could have increased opportunities as summer camps open around baseball, like Arizona's Jake Lamb.
Spring Training Job Battles: Early March Update
March 7, 2020
Erik Halterman analyzes the latest spring training job battles, including the Diamondbacks bullpen where Archie Bradley has yet to be named the closer.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Once a fairly promising prospect, Cotton recorded an unremarkable 4.95 ERA in 158.1 innings for Oakland in 2016 and 2017 before seeing his career derailed by Tommy John surgery. He returned to the majors last season with Texas, and had a decent season with a 3.52 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 30:15 K:BB across 30.2 innings. With the long layoff, it's possible he could improve in his second full year back, especially if he can reduce his walks. He'll work in a middle relief role for Minnesota.
Cotton's return from the Tommy John surgery he underwent back in March of 2018 didn't go entirely smoothly, and he wound up not making a single big-league appearance last year. He got into some rehab games in May but was quickly shut down for a hamstring debridement procedure in June. He got back on the mound for rehab work in July but was never trusted enough for a promotion, instead struggling to a 6.75 ERA in 30.1 minor-league innings. There's no shame in having a rocky return from a major surgery, so Cotton's 2019 season shouldn't dampen all enthusiasm for a player who was once a mildly interesting prospect. That's not to say there should be too much enthusiasm in the first place, as he'll be 28 years old this season and has just 158.1 big-league innings with a 4.95 ERA under his belt. The Cubs gave the A's cash for Cotton this offseason, and he will compete for the No. 5 starter spot this spring.
Cotton was battling for an Opening Day rotation spot when he suffered a strained UCL in the middle of spring training, and the right-hander ultimately opted to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery in mid-March. While he resumed throwing in August, he is expected to remain sidelined at the start of the 2019 season. A clearer timetable for the right-hander’s return should emerge as he progresses in his rehab, but Cotton figures to get at least one more opportunity in Oakland’s rotation whenever he’s deemed ready. He struggled during his first extended look with the A’s in 2017, posting a 5.58 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 105:53 K:BB through 129 innings (24 starts), though he looked much better during spring training in 2018 prior to suffering the injury. There's still some perceived upside with the former Dodgers prospect given the quality of his changeup, but he'll need to prove he's healthy before warranting any serious consideration.
Cotton's changeup is nasty, but pitchers need more than one weapon in their arsenal to sustain success against big-league hitters. After Cotton turned in a 2.15 ERA in a five-start sample in 2016, he was rocked for a 5.58 ERA last season. Home runs were a major problem (1.95 HR/9) as Cotton's flyball rate hovered around 46 percent -- his "sinker" hardly gets any sink and he had a nasty habit of leaving his four-seamer up in the wheelhouse of lefty batters (14 homers allowed to lefties). Walks compounded the issues with the long ball, with Cotton issuing free passes at a 9.4 percent clip, and he managed only a modest 18.6 percent strikeout rate. Fortunately, a late-season elbow scare proved minor, as Cotton was given a clean bill of health heading into the offseason. With a lack of quality alternatives behind him, he seems likely to get a chance to make amends in the rotation in 2018.
The Dodgers sent Cotton to Oakland to acquire Josh Reddick, and the right-hander found his way into the rotation about a month later. Though he sparkled in his first five major league starts and probably has the inside track at a rotation spot, some may overlook him because of the 7.1 K/9 during his time with Oakland and 4.31 ERA at Triple-A. The ugliness of his minor league surface stats masked the beauty of his 10.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. Cotton's swinging-strike rate (a whopping 12.5 percent), an excellent get-ahead approach (66.1 first-strike rate) and diverse cache of pitches suggest he should've had better luck in the K/9 department. Those factors position him for a productive first full year, especially in his new pitcher-friendly environment, which will at least limit the dangers of his flyball-first approach in home starts. He's a low-cost sleeper yet possibly one of fantasy's best prospects for 2017.
Cotton saw his prospect status soar after an excellent 2015 in which he saw time at four different levels, ultimately finishing with five relief appearances in Triple-A. His Triple-A debut was pretty good, with Cotton striking out the only six hitters he faced in two innings. Combined, Cotton posted a 2.45 ERA in 95.2 innings with an excellent 114:31 K:BB. That 10.7 K/9 likely propelled him at least close to the team's top 10 prospects list. Cotton stands just 5-foot-11 and was a 20th-round pick, but a unique delivery and excellent stuff have propelled him up the charts. Cotton features a fastball anywhere from 90-95 mph, an excellent curveball, and a changeup that is already talked about as well above average for his development. Cotton spent time in both the rotation and the bullpen after returning from a wrist injury in late May. His long-term future is yet to be decided, but he should make his major league debut in some capacity this season after opening up in Triple-A.
More Fantasy News
Hits open market
PFree Agent  
October 20, 2022
Cotton elected free agency Thursday after he was outrighted off the Giants' 40-man roster, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
ANALYSIS
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Picks up extra-inning win
PSan Francisco Giants  
October 2, 2022
Cotton (4-2) earned the extra-inning win Sunday versus the Diamondbacks, allowing an unearned run on two hits and striking out one over one inning.
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Wins in team debut
PSan Francisco Giants  
September 22, 2022
Cotton (3-2) won his Giants debut Thursday. He allowed two hits and struck out one over 2.2 innings versus the Rockies.
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Joins big-league club
PSan Francisco Giants  
September 21, 2022
Cotton reported to the Giants' major-league facility and is active ahead of Wednesday's game against Colorado.
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Claimed by San Francisco
PSan Francisco Giants  
September 18, 2022
The Giants claimed Cotton off waivers from the Twins on Sunday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
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