John Cotton (baseball)
Encyclopedia
John Cotton is a retired professional baseball
player and an Olympic
gold medalist in baseball
. Cotton has played 15 seasons in minor league baseball
, his last coming in 2003. Over his career, he has played in the Cleveland Indians
organization (1989–1993), the San Diego Padres
organization (1994–1995), the Detroit Tigers
organization (1996), the Chicago White Sox
organization (1997), the Chicago Cubs
organization (1998), the Colorado Rockies
organization (1999–2000), the Montreal Expos
organization (2001), the Los Angeles Dodgers
organization (2001), the Pittsburgh Pirates
organization (2001), and independent league baseball (2002–2003). During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
, Cotton won a gold medal as a member of the United States national baseball team
. Cotton has batted
.256 with 1361 hits
, 237 doubles
, 59 triples
and 190 home runs in 1530 minor league games. On the defensive side, Cotton has played 457 career games at second base, 570 in the outfield
, 162 games at third base
, 191 at first base, 35 games at shortstop
and one game at catcher
.
in the tenth round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft
out of Angelina College
. He began his professional career with the rookie-level Burlington Indians. With Burlington, Cotton batted
.207 with 47 hits
, five doubles
, one triples
, and two home runs in 64 games. In the field
, Cotton played all 64 games at second base and committed 29 errors
in 306 total chances
. The next season, 1990, Cotton played for the Class-A Short Season Watertown Indians
. In 73 games that season, Cotton batted .210 with 60 hits, nine doubles, four triples, and two home runs. He played all of his 73 games at second base, committing 26 errors in 364 total chances. In 1991, Cotton played for the Class-A Columbus Indians. With Columbus, Cotton batted .227 with 88 runs
, 92 hits, 11 doubles, nine triples, 13 home runs, 42 runs batted in (RBIs) and 57 stolen bases in 122 games. Cotton was promoted to the Class-A Advanced Kinston Indians
in 1992. With Kinston, Cotton batted .200 with 67 runs, 72 hits, seven doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases in 103 games. Cotton stayed with Kinston in 1993 and batted .264 with in 81 runs, 120 hits, 16 doubles, three RBIs, 13 home runs, 51 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and 24 caught stealing
in 127 games. Cotton primarily played in the outfield
(125 games) in 1993, compared the previous seasons where he primarily played second base.
Cotton began playing in the San Diego Padres
' organization in 1995. He played at three different levels in the Padres' organization with three different teams that season. The teams included the Class-A Springfield Sultans, the Class-A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
, and the Double-A Memphis Chicks
. With the Sultans, Cotton batted .232 with 14 runs, 19 hits, five doubles, three triples, one home run, eight RBIs, and seven stolen bases in 24 games. At the Class-A Advanced level, he batted .205 with 35 runs, 35 hits, three doubles, two triples, four home runs, 19 RBIs, and nine stolen bases in 48 games.
. He also enrolled into the Sugar Land Fire Academy and later became a firefighter
with the Sugar Land Fire Department.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player and an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. Cotton has played 15 seasons in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, his last coming in 2003. Over his career, he has played in the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
organization (1989–1993), the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
organization (1994–1995), the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
organization (1996), the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
organization (1997), the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
organization (1998), the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
organization (1999–2000), the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
organization (2001), the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
organization (2001), the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
organization (2001), and independent league baseball (2002–2003). During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, Cotton won a gold medal as a member of the United States national baseball team
United States national baseball team
The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.The team...
. Cotton has batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.256 with 1361 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, 237 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 59 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and 190 home runs in 1530 minor league games. On the defensive side, Cotton has played 457 career games at second base, 570 in the outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
, 162 games at third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
, 191 at first base, 35 games at shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
and one game at catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
.
Professional career
Cotton was drafted by the Cleveland IndiansCleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in the tenth round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft
1989 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental first round selections:-External links:*...
out of Angelina College
Angelina College
Angelina College is a community college located in Lufkin, Texas, with special-purpose branches in nearby Nacogdoches and Crockett.As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of Angelina College is the following:...
. He began his professional career with the rookie-level Burlington Indians. With Burlington, Cotton batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.207 with 47 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, five doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, one triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and two home runs in 64 games. In the field
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
, Cotton played all 64 games at second base and committed 29 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in 306 total chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
. The next season, 1990, Cotton played for the Class-A Short Season Watertown Indians
Watertown Indians
The Watertown Indians were a minor league baseball team located in Watertown, New York. The team played in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League and was affiliated with the Cleveland Indians. Its home stadium was Duffy Fairgrounds. The team relocated to Staten Island for the...
. In 73 games that season, Cotton batted .210 with 60 hits, nine doubles, four triples, and two home runs. He played all of his 73 games at second base, committing 26 errors in 364 total chances. In 1991, Cotton played for the Class-A Columbus Indians. With Columbus, Cotton batted .227 with 88 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, 92 hits, 11 doubles, nine triples, 13 home runs, 42 runs batted in (RBIs) and 57 stolen bases in 122 games. Cotton was promoted to the Class-A Advanced Kinston Indians
Kinston Indians
The Kinston Indians were a minor league baseball team of the Carolina League , and the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. They were located in Kinston, North Carolina, and were named for their parent club...
in 1992. With Kinston, Cotton batted .200 with 67 runs, 72 hits, seven doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases in 103 games. Cotton stayed with Kinston in 1993 and batted .264 with in 81 runs, 120 hits, 16 doubles, three RBIs, 13 home runs, 51 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and 24 caught stealing
Caught stealing
In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder while making the attempt...
in 127 games. Cotton primarily played in the outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
(125 games) in 1993, compared the previous seasons where he primarily played second base.
Cotton began playing in the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
' organization in 1995. He played at three different levels in the Padres' organization with three different teams that season. The teams included the Class-A Springfield Sultans, the Class-A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a minor league baseball team in Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA. They are a Class A – Advanced team in the California League and a farm team of the Los Angeles Dodgers, their third major league affiliate in team history....
, and the Double-A Memphis Chicks
Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1901 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a...
. With the Sultans, Cotton batted .232 with 14 runs, 19 hits, five doubles, three triples, one home run, eight RBIs, and seven stolen bases in 24 games. At the Class-A Advanced level, he batted .205 with 35 runs, 35 hits, three doubles, two triples, four home runs, 19 RBIs, and nine stolen bases in 48 games.
Other activities
Since retiring from professional baseball, Cotton trained to be an emergency medical technicianEmergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
. He also enrolled into the Sugar Land Fire Academy and later became a firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
with the Sugar Land Fire Department.