Caleb Cotham

Caleb Kent Cotham

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 215 lb.
• School Vanderbilt University
• High School Mount Juliet High School
• Debut July 29, 2015
• Final Game May 28, 2016
• Born November 6, 1987 in Mount Juliet, TN USA

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Biographical Information

Caleb Cotham pitched 35 games in the big leagues. He is the current Cincinnati Reds director of pitching.

Cotham joined the New York Yankees as a 5th rounder out of Vanderbilt in 2009. In six seasons in the Yankees' system, he went 19-24 with a 3.94 ERA. After starting 3 games in 2009, he missed all of 2010, then was used as a reliever in 2011. In 2012, he was a starter for the Charleston RiverDogs and Tampa Yankees, both in Class A, going a combined 5-7, 3.91. In 2013, he reached AAA for the first time with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees after starting the season in Trenton, going 8-7, 5.07 in 28 games. 2014 was a lost season, as he struggled with injuries, went back to the GCL for rehab, and made only 10 starts with a record of 0-4 and an ERA well above 6.00 in the higher rungs. The Yankees made him a reliever in 2015, and it worked beautifully. He was a combined 6-4, 2.37 between Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, leading to a first call up in late July, and a more extended look in September.

Caleb earned his first win against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 14, 2015. He registered the last out in the bottom of the 8th after the Rays had taken a 1-0 lead, then was the beneficiary of a two-out rally against closer Brad Boxberger in the 9th to put the Yankees up, 4-1. Andrew Miller pitched the bottom of the 9th to seal the win. Altogether, Caleb went 1-0, 6.52 in 12 relief outings for the Yankees. On December 28, 2015, he was one of four prospects, alongside infielder Eric Jagielo, infielder Tony Renda and pitcher Rookie Davis, traded to the Cincinnati Reds for closer Aroldis Chapman. The Reds were in full rebuilding mode, so Caleb got a good look in 2016. The results were uninspiring: pitching 23 times in relief, he went 0-3, 7.40 in 24 1/3 innings. After being outrighted and electing free agency, he joined the Seattle Mariners for camp in 2017, abruptly retiring on March 10.

In 2019, Cotham was named assistant pitching coach of the Cincinnati Reds. He was promoted to director of pitching for the 2020 season. In 2021, he was named pitching coach of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Related Sites

• Caleb Cotham on mlb.com