Jharel Leandre Cotton...TikTok: meetthecottons...wife, Emma...daughter, Zola (born 2019)...a TikTok video of Zola eating cotton candy for the first time went semi-viral in 2021; the adorable tot didn't realize that cotton candy is a food, so she smiled and hugged the fluffy stuff as someone said in the background "you're supposed to eat it"...pitched 2012 season at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC after playing two years at Miami (FL) Dade College...his brother, Jamaine, pitched in Houston organization from 2010-14...was born on St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands) and lived on Tortola (British Virgin Island) until he was 12 when he moved to St. Thomas...is the fourth pitcher in major league history born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and just the second to pitch in more than one game (Al McBean, 1961-70)...is the 14th player born in the U.S. Virgin Islands in major league history.
2021
Was a non-roster invite to Texas Spring Training...Assigned to Triple-A Round Rock to begin the year, going 4-0, 3.00 ERA (42.0 IP, 14 ER) with 17 walks, 57 strikeouts, 1.17 WHIP, 12.2 strikeouts-per-9.0 rate and 3.35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 24 games (2 starts)...held opponents .205/.286/.301/.587 slash line...posted a 21.0-inning scoreless streak from June 15-July 23...went 1-0, 0.41 ER (22.0 IP, 1 ER) with seven walks, 30 strikeouts and .147 (11-for-75) opponent batting average across his last 14 Triple-A games...Had his contract selected from Triple-A Round Rock on July 30 and spent the rest of the season in the majors...made his Texas debut that night vs. Seattle (2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER)...was his first major league appearance since Sept. 24, 2017 vs. Texas with Oakland (1,405 days) and first career relief outing...Opponents slashed .237/.328/.331/.659 (28-for-118) against him with just two home runs allowed, including just .188 (3-for-16) with runners in scoring position and two outs...held left-handed batters to .207 (10-for-48) batting average, while right-handed batters hit .257 (28-for-70) against him...Posted 2.05 ER-(22.0 IP, 5 ER) and .177 (14-for-79) opponent batting average over his last 17 games from Aug. 20 to the end of the season, dropping his season ER from 7.27 to 3.52 and his opponent batting average from .311 to .237...Earned the win Sept. 8 at Arizona, his first major league win since start with Oakland on Sept. 24, 2017 vs. Texas...Had career-best 10.0-inning scoreless streak from September 11-26...Overall went 6-0, 3.22 ER-(72.2 IP, 26 ER) with 32 walks and 87 strikeouts in 47 games (2 starts) between Triple-A Round Rock and Texas.
2020
Was acquired by the Cubs on 11/23/19 and was 2-0, 9.45 ERA (7 ER/6.2 IP) over five relief appearances in regular Spring Training camp…pitched in exhibition contest against CWS on 7/19 at Wrigley Field and was optioned to Cubs’ Alternate Training Site at start of regular season…was designated for assignment on 8/16, assigned outright to the Alternate Site on 8/20, and released on 9/5.
2019
Jharel appeared in 18 minor league contests, his first pro outings since 2017...went 1-3 with a 7.16 ERA (22 ER/27.2 IP) between Single-A Stockton and Triple-A Las Vegas...Began the season on the major league injured list...made three rehab outings from May 17-28 with Stockton before returning from rehab...began a second rehab stint July 9 and pitched through the rest of the season...was activated off the injured list, July 29, and optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas...Posted a 3.24 ERA (3 ER/8.1 IP) in his final six outings with Las Vegas starting August 13.
2018
Missed the entire season after undergoing ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery March 31 at Trinity Park Surgery Center in Arlington, Tex…the surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister…was 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA and .195 opponents batting average in four games, including three starts, during spring training before he was shut down due to an elbow injury…had 16 strikeouts in 12.0 innings.
2017
Went 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA in 24 starts over two stints with the A's…ranked second among American League rookies in strikeouts (105), games started and innings pitched (129.0) and tied for second in wins…did not have enough innings to qualify for the league leaders…however, based on a minimum of 125 innings pitched, he had the sixth highest ERA, opponents slugging percentage (.494) and opponents OPS (.833) in the AL…using the same minimum, he had the eighth highest ERA in Oakland history and the highest since Jimmy Haynes had a 6.34 ERA in 1999…the slugging percentage was fifth highest in Oakland history…allowed 28 home runs, which broke the Athletics rookie record of 27 set by Dan Pfister in 1962 and matched by Trevor Cahill in 2009… they were second most by any A's pitcher over the last 11 years (36 by A.J. Griffin in 2013)… allowed an average a 1.95 home runs per nine innings, which is the highest mark in Athletics history among pitchers with 110 or more innings pitched…was on the Opening Day roster and went 3-4 with a 5.68 ERA and .282 opponents average in seven starts before he was optioned to Triple-A Nashville May 11…was recalled on May 27 and went 2-4 with a 4.66 ERA and .239 opponents batting average in seven starts before going on the 10-day disabled list July 4 with a right thumb blister…was reinstated July 30 and went 4-2 despite a 6.19 ERA and .275 opponents batting average in 10 starts following his return…had an ERA of 4.18 or higher in each month of the season…went 4-6 with a 6.98 ERA in 13 starts in Oakland compared to 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA in 11 starts on the road…allowed 18 of his 28 home runs at home, which tied for fourth most in the AL…his home ERA was second highest in the majors among pitchers with 60 innings at home (Jimenez, BAL 7.86) and second highest in Oakland history (Redman, 7.46 in 2004)…was 7-3 with a 3.73 ERA and .196 opponents batting average in 12 starts during the day compared to 2-7 with a 7.78 ERA and .339 opponents average in 12 starts at night…tied for the AL lead in home runs allowed during the day (15) and tied for second in wins…based on a minimum of 50 innings pitched, he had the second highest night ERA in the AL (Holland, CWS 7.91) and third highest in Oakland history…is now 9-3 with a 3.35 ERA (31 er in 83.1 ip) in 14 career starts during the day, 2-7 with a 6.72 ERA (56 er in 75.0 ip) in 14 starts at night…allowed a .267 opponents batting average, which included .257 (56-for-218) against left-handed hitters compared to .275 (77-for-280) against right-handers…had an .837 OPS against lefties, .828 against righties…14 of his 28 home runs came with two outs, which was second most in the AL…13 came over the first two innings, including seven in the second inning, which tied for third…was 5-4 with a 4.74 ERA in 10 starts on four days rest, 4-6 with a 6.25 ERA in 14 starts on five days rest or more…went 4-5 with a 6.46 ERA in 12 starts against AL West competition compared to 5-5 with a 4.74 ERA in 12 starts against everyone else…received 15 runs of support in his 10 losses (2.58 RSA) and 38 runs of support in his nine wins (6.45 RSA)…tied for second in the AL in balks (2), tied for fifth in caught stealing (6) and sacrifice hits (4) and tied for seventh in unearned runs (11)…tossed six innings or fewer in 21 of his 24 starts.
OAKLAND: Was charged with the first loss of his career in his first start of the season, a 5-0 A's loss to Los Angeles (AL) on April 5…yielded five runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings…tossed a careerhigh tying 7.0 innings and combined with Casilla and Doolittle on a three-hit shutout in the A's 2-0 win at Kansas City April 10…allowed a career-high 10 hits in 4.1 innings in a 9-4 loss at Houston April 28…struck out a career-high nine batters in an 8-5 win at Minnesota May 4…also yielded two home runs in a game for the first time in his career…then allowed three home runs in his next start May 9 against Los Angeles (AL), his first of four games with three home runs (Aug. 9 vs. Seattle, Sept. 2 at Seattle, Sept. 8 vs. Houston)…allowed a career-high seven runs in a 7-3 loss to Los Angeles (AL) May 9…that began a career-high four-game losing streak that spanned five starts through June 13…had a 6.59 ERA during the streak…tossed a career-high 107 pitches at New York (AL) May 27…snapped his losing streak by winning consecutive starts on June 18 against New York (AL) and June 23 at Chicago (AL)…it was the first time in his career he won backto-back starts…left the start against the White Sox with a blister after tossing 66 pitches…missed just one turn in the rotation before starting against the White Sox again on July 3…was placed on the 10-day disabled list July 6 retroactive to July 4 with a right thumb blister…made two rehab appearances (one start) with Triple-A Nashville and was a combined 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and .188 opponents batting average before he was reinstated July 30…walked a career-high five batters in a career-low 3.2 innings in a no decision on July 30 against Minnesota…picked up the win Aug. 20 at Houston to begin a season-ending and career-high four-game winning streak…compiled a 4.83 ERA and .240 opponents batting average over that six-start stretch…matched his career high with nine strikeouts and did not walk a batter in 6.0 innings in an 8-3 win over Texas on Aug. 27… allowed a career-high tying seven runs in 5.0 innings in a 9-8 loss to Houston Sept. 8…missed his scheduled start on Sept. 18 at Detroit after straining his right groin during warm-ups…tossed 5.0 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit in his final start, a n 8-1 win over Texas Sept. 24.
NASHVILLE: Went 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA and .195 opponents batting average in four games, including three starts, with Nashville…walked just four batters in 21.1 innings (1.69 per nine innings) while striking out 28 (11.81 per nine innings)…surrendered three home runs…went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts following his May 11 option…picked up the win May 21 at Sacramento start when he combined with Michael Brady on a three-hit shutout in the Sounds 4-0 win… tossed seven innings and allowed all three of the hits (1 bb, 9 so, 90 pitches)…was recalled by Oakland May 27 but returned to Nashville July 19 on a rehab assignment…his first outing came in relief July 19 at Iowa in a game started by a rehabbing Kendall Graveman…entered the game to start the fourth inning and tossed 3.1 innings…then started on July 25 against Las Vegas and was the winning pitcher in a 10-4 victory (6.0 ip, 2 h, 1 bb, 9 so).
2016
Was one of three players acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick at the trading deadline and made his Major League debut with Oakland in September…went 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA and .185 opponents batting average in five starts with the A's…walked just four batters in 29.1 innings, an average of 1.23 per nine innings, and had a .214 opponents on-base percentage…struck out 23 for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.75…yielded a .324 slugging percentage…his opponents batting average included a .146 (7-for-48) mark against left-handed hitters compared to .217 (13-for-60) against right-handers…issued all four of his walks to lefties…surrendered three of his four home runs to righties for a .400 slugging percentage (lefties slugged .229)…three of the four home runs were solo shots…three came after his 60th pitch in a game…yielded a .167 average with runners in scoring position and .132 with two strikes…opponents hit .163 the first two times through the lineup, .273 after that…did not allow a run in the first inning (5.0 ip) and yielded just one hit (.063 batting average)…had a 0.90 ERA over innings one through four, a 4.82 ERA from the fifth inning on…the A's were 4-1 (.800) in his starting assignments…walked one batter or fewer in four of his five starts (walked two in the other), allowed one earned run or fewer four times and three hits or fewer three times…was rated as the A's No. 4 prospect by Baseball America following the 2016 season…was recalled from Nashville Sept. 7 and made his ML debut that day against Los Angeles (AL) in Oakland…allowed a run on two hits in 6.1 innings and picked up his first big league win in a 4-1 decision…became the 16th pitcher in Oakland history to win his debut…is the first Athletics pitcher with more than six innings and two hits or fewer in his debut since Porter Vaughan on June 16, 1940 (7.0 ip, 2 h)…retired the side in order in each of the first three innings to become the fourth pitcher in Oakland history to retire at least each of the first nine batters he faced in his career (12, Jay Marshall in 2007; 9, Billy Taylor in 1994; 9, Dave Beard in 1980)…struck out Kaleb Cowart to end the second inning for his first strikeout…also allowed one earned run in each of his next three starts…since the earned run became an official stat in 1913, he is the first Athletic to start his career with four consecutive games of five innings or more and one earned run or fewer…was one of two Major Leaguers to do it in 2016 (Maeda, LAD)…left with a 2-1 lead in his third start Sept. 19 against Houston but the bullpen allowed a run in the eighth for the blown save in a game the A's would lose 4-2…yielded one run in a career-high 7.0 innings in a 7-1 win on Sept. 25 against Texas to improve to 2-0.
