KANSAS CITY, Mo. - As if it weren’t enough to get some major compliments from a Hall of Famer, Jharel Cotton had even more reason to be thrilled when Pedro Martinez compared the A’s rookie to himself on the MLB Network and on Twitter.
“Pretty exciting, I grew up watching him pitch - he was my idol,” Cotton said Wednesday. “It’s pretty cool he said those things.”
Cotton, 25, worked seven shutout innings at Kansas City on Monday, and Martinez noted that they are the same height (listed at 5-foot-11), they were both prospects traded by the Dodgers, and they have the same assortment of pitches - including the same wicked changeup.