Neal Cotts
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2003-2015)
Neal Cotts was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2015 for 5 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 13 seasons. Across 483 career appearances, he went 21-24 with a 3.96 ERA and 421 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 200 lb
- MLB Debut
- 2003-08-12
- Last Game
- 2015-10-03
Full name: Neal James Cotts
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | CHA | AL | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 8.10 | 4.40 (-84%) | -643.9 |
| 2004 | CHA | AL | 4 | 4 | 56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65.1 | 61 | 41 | 30 | 58 | 5.65 | 4.46 (-27%) | -1488.2 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | 4 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60.1 | 38 | 13 | 29 | 58 | 1.94 | 4.29 (+55%) | 2042.0 |
| 2006 | CHA | AL | 1 | 2 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 54.0 | 64 | 31 | 24 | 43 | 5.17 | 4.53 (-14%) | -1911.9 |
| 2007 | CHN | NL | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.2 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 4.86 | 4.47 (-9%) | -11.1 |
| 2008 | CHN | NL | 0 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35.2 | 38 | 17 | 13 | 43 | 4.29 | 4.32 (+1%) | -112.3 |
| 2009 | CHN | NL | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7.36 | 4.32 (-70%) | -938.2 |
| 2013 | TEX | AL | 8 | 3 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 57.0 | 36 | 7 | 18 | 65 | 1.11 | 3.87 (+71%) | 2443.4 |
| 2014 | TEX | AL | 2 | 9 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 66.2 | 66 | 32 | 23 | 63 | 4.32 | 3.74 (-15%) | 267.6 |
| 2015 | MIL | NL | 1 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49.2 | 44 | 18 | 17 | 49 | 3.26 | 3.96 (+18%) | -947.0 |
| 2015 | MIN | AL | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.2 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 3.95 | 3.96 (avg) | -692.1 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 21 | 24 | 483 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 443.1 | 405 | 195 | 194 | 421 | 3.96 | — | -1,992 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 483 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.500 | 0 |
Career AVG .500 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — +91.0% above league average.
Career OBP .500 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — +52.2% above league average.
Career SLG 1.000 vs. league average .415 across their career seasons — +141.2% above league average.
Career OPS 1.500 vs. league average .743 across their career seasons — +101.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | CHA | AL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2004 | CHA | AL | 56 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2006 | CHA | AL | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2007 | CHN | NL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2008 | CHN | NL | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2009 | CHN | NL | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2013 | TEX | AL | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2014 | TEX | AL | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2015 | MIL | NL | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2015 | MIN | AL | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 483 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | NLDS1 | CHN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2005 | ALCS | CHA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2005 | ALDS1 | CHA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2005 | WS | CHA | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
Playoff Pitching by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (964 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 252 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 230 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 252 | 235.1 | 227 | 102 | 113 | 219 | 3.90 |
| Away | 230 | 207.0 | 178 | 93 | 80 | 201 | 4.04 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-10-03 | MIN | KCR | — | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-09-30 | MIN | CLE | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-09-25 | MIN | DET | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-09-24 | MIN | CLE | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-09-23 | MIN | CLE | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-09-19 | MIN | LAA | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015-09-17 | MIN | LAA | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015-09-16 | MIN | DET | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-09-14 | MIN | DET | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015-09-09 | MIN | KCR | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | CHA | P | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 | CHA | P | 56 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005 | CHA | P | 69 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| 2006 | CHA | P | 70 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 2007 | CHN | P | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | CHN | P | 50 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 | CHN | P | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | TEX | P | 58 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | TEX | P | 73 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | MIL | P | 51 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | MIN | P | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 483 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | This Year in Baseball Setup Man of the Year | MLB.com GIBBY |
Salary History
Neal Cotts's recorded salaries total $8,156,000 over 7 seasons, 2004 to 2015. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Cotts's career ran from 2003 to 2015. No salary is recorded for 2003, 2008, and 2013.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | MIL | NL | $3,000,000 |
| 2014 | TEX | AL | $2,200,000 |
| 2009 | CHN | NL | $1,100,000 |
| 2007 | CHN | NL | $825,000 |
| 2006 | CHA | AL | $400,000 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | $330,000 |
| 2004 | CHA | AL | $301,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $8,156,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State University | Normal | IL | 1999, 2000, 2001 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Neal Cotts (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Neal Cotts: the record in brief
Between the debut on August 12, 2003 and the final game on October 3, 2015, Neal Cotts built the record summarized on this page. By club, Cotts's seasons break down as the Chicago White Sox (2003 through 2006), the Chicago Cubs (2007 through 2009), the Texas Rangers (2013 to 2014), the Milwaukee Brewers (2015), and the Minnesota Twins (2015). Cotts is listed as a pitcher at 6'2" and 200 pounds. The bio says Cotts both batted and threw left-handed. The recorded birth is March 25, 1980, in Belleville, IL, USA. The given name on file is Neal James Cotts.
Across 483 games (5 starts), Cotts recorded 21 wins against 24 losses with a 3.96 ERA. Cotts had 421 strikeouts. The leagues Cotts pitched in allowed 4.24 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 6.6% better than average. No season topped the 8 wins of 2013. In 2013, one of the busiest seasons, Cotts posted a 1.11 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.87.
Frequently Asked Questions about Neal Cotts
- What years did Neal Cotts play?
- Neal Cotts played in Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2015.
- Was Neal Cotts a pitcher?
- Yes. Neal Cotts pitched in the major leagues, recording 21 wins and 421 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Neal Cotts hit?
- Neal Cotts hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.
- What teams did Neal Cotts play for?
- Neal Cotts played for 5 teams: the Chicago White Sox (2003–2006), the Chicago Cubs (2007–2009), the Texas Rangers (2013–2014), the Milwaukee Brewers (2015), and the Minnesota Twins (2015).
- What were Neal Cotts's career stats?
- In 483 games, Neal Cotts went 21-24 with a 3.96 ERA, 421 strikeouts, 443.1 innings pitched, and 4 saves.
- How much did Neal Cotts earn in his career?
- Neal Cotts's recorded salaries total $8,156,000 over 7 seasons, 2004 to 2015. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Cotts's career ran from 2003 to 2015. No salary is recorded for 2003, 2008, and 2013.
- What was Neal Cotts's salary?
- Neal Cotts's last recorded salary was $3,000,000, in 2015. His highest recorded salary was $3,000,000, in 2015, and his lowest was $301,000, in 2004. The Salary History table lists each season from 2004 to 2015.
- What position did Neal Cotts play?
- Neal Cotts played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Neal Cotts and how much did he weigh?
- Neal Cotts was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 200 pounds.
- What was Neal Cotts's career ERA?
- Neal Cotts finished with a 3.96 career ERA, going 21-24 with 421 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Neal Cotts have?
- Neal Cotts recorded 421 career strikeouts.
- Is Neal Cotts in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Neal Cotts has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.