Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
This was definitely a bummer to stumble upon this morning.
#Dodgers prospect Jharel Cotton of St. Thomas will miss 2-3 months after breaking left wrist on comebacker #USVI @Jake_Seiner @cistulli
— Matt Schoch (@Matt_Schoch_) April 8, 2015
Jharel Cotton was left off the Double-A Tulsa and High-A Rancho Cucamonga rosters, which was an indicator that something wasn’t right. Now we know why.
This doesn’t mean ton to a lot of folks, but I pegged Cotton, 23, as my Dodger minor-league pitcher of the year and thought he was in store for big things in 2015. He checked in at No. 12 on my Top 100 prospects list after an incredibly strong finish to his 2014 campaign.
“He has a small frame that isn’t normally conducive to a heavy workload, but Cotton will remain in the rotation as long as he’s successful and can physically handle it. His profile is somewhat reminiscent of Edinson Volquez. He could be a middle-of-the-rotation starter if he hits his ceiling, but there’s a much greater chance of him ending up in the bullpen. If he does, he could be a late-inning reliever with a strong fastball-changeup combination. He should be in the Double-A rotation to begin 2015.”
All that is still true, minus the last sentence. He’ll likely rehab the injury in Arizona at extended spring training and could even see some time in A-ball again before — hopefully — making it to Double-A.
Cotton made his only big league spring appearance on March 19. He allowed two hits and two runs in 1 1/3 innings.
The Double-A squad still looks pretty strong, even with Cotton’s (temporary) absence. Here’s hoping the injury isn’t too serious and he can get back. With his Matt Herges in Double-A as the Drillers’ pitching coach, it would be nice to see Cotton reunited with him. Herges is the one who helped Cotton midway through the season and was largely responsible for his turnaround.
Hey, at least it wasn’t Tommy John (poor Red Patterson).
