Colton Cain

Billy Colton Cain

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 237 lb.
• High School Waxahachie High School

• Born February 5, 1991 in Waxahachie, TX USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Colton Cain debuted in the minors in 2010.

Cain helped the USA win Gold at the 2007 World Youth Championship. He was 12-1 with a 0.76 ERA as a high school junior, whiffing 131 in 81 innings and hitting .486 with nine homers. Colton was 1-0 with 3.00 ERA in the 2008 World Junior Championship, when the USA won Silver. He then fell to 6-2, 2.17 a a senior. Baseball America rated him the 109th-best prospect entering the 2009 amateur draft. He had a commitment to the University of Texas when the Pittsburgh Pirates took him in the 8th round of the 2009 amateur draft. Signed by scout Mike Leuzinger, the Pirates were able to lure him away from Texas with a $1,125,000 signing bonus, a new record for rounds 8-10.

Cain made his minor league debut with the 2010 GCL Pirates and had a 3.48 ERA after three outings. After one more appearance on the mound, he was promoted to the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League, combining for a record of 1-2, 4.66 in 15 games between the two teams; in 48 1/3 innings, he allowed only 35 hits, walked 19 and struck out 47. Baseball America rated him as the #10 prospect in the NYPL. He spent the entire 2011 season with the West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League, where he was 6-8, 3.64 in 24 games, 19 of them starts. He struck out 81 and walked only 31 in 106 innings. In 2012, he was promoted to the Bradenton Marauders in the Florida State League, where he made 16 starts, with a record of 3-5, 4.20. On July 24th, he was one of three young players sent by the Pirates to the Houston Astros - along with Robbie Grossman and Rudy Owens - to acquire veteran starter Wandy Rodriguez. He finished the year by going 2-2, 5.55 for the Lancaster JetHawks of the California League.

In 2013, Cain split the season between Lancaster (3-0, 3.24) and the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League (5-5, 4.23). Overall, his record was 8-5, 3.88 in 28 games, including 19 starts. He pitched 120 2/3 innings - his highest single-season total thus far - giving up 130 hits and 39 walks while striking out 88.