Fitzpatrick: Kole Cottam wins Canadian Baseball Network’s Murray Zuk Award
Slugger Kole Cottam, whose family is from Burlington, Ont., is the winner of the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2023 Murray Zuk Award winner, as the top Canadian hitter in the foreign or independent pro ranks. Photo: Spire City Ghost Hounds
February 9, 2024
By Trevor Fitzpatrick
Canadian Baseball Network
The number 13, while synonymous with bad luck, has always meant the opposite to Kole Cottam.
Born in Memphis, Tenn., the catcher’s roots are strongly tied to Canada. He holds dual citizenship since his dad, Jeff, was born in Burlington, Ont.
Cottam was born with a condition called congenital melanocytic nevus – a birthmark around the eye. The mark is usually accompanied by an increased risk of melanoma, leading doctors to perform 13 surgeries to remove it. The last of those being at 13 years old.
“It was a very special number for me growing up, I think it’s a part of who I am today,” he said.
No damage was done to his eye and his baseball career was not over before it started – far from it.
With his lucky number 13 on his back, Cottam played three seasons with the Kentucky Wildcats. He hit .326, with a .399 OBP and 27 home runs, enough to be selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.
In their minor league system, he reached as high as triple-A Worcester in 2022. The problem was, the Red Sox had too much going on at the catching position. Reese McGuire, Connor Wong, and Jorge Alfaro were all competing for the major league spot.
On March 6, 2023, Cottam reportedly requested a release from the team to seek different opportunities and was granted it. Through his four seasons in the minor leagues, he hit .258 with 129 RBIs.
Putting the minor leagues behind him temporarily, he found a new home in the Atlantic League with the newly founded Spire City Ghost Hounds. Both Cottam and the team made their independent circuit debuts in 2023.
With a chip on his shoulder, Cottam exploded for the team throughout the season. He earned the July Player of the Month Award and all-star honours after the year was done.
His final stats: 30 home runs on a .290 batting average. It was a home run total that eclipsed his 27 that he hit through all three of his college years.
Finally, his excellent season was capped off with one more honour: the Murray Zuk Award presented by the Canadian Baseball Network, which is given to the top Canadian in the independent or international scene each year.
“It’s a very prestigious award and I’m very honoured to have won it,” said Cottam, “It’s a credit to a lot of people for sure, all of the family and friends that have been there with me.”
Cottam received six first-place votes totalling 39 points, while Riley Jepson (Kamloops, BC) of the independent Great Falls Voyagers was second with 11 points followed by Evansville’s Noah Myers (Windsor, Ont.) 10, Connor Panas (North York, Ont.), of the independent American Association’s Lincoln Saltdogs, with 9 and AA’s Sioux City Explorers’ Matt Lloyd (Calgary, Alta.) with six. Myers, Panas and Lloyd received one first-place vote each.
Being from a Canadian family has always meant a lot to Cottam. As mentioned, his dad grew up in Canada and because of that, the Cottam family has strong ties to the maple leaf no matter where they go.
“My family still lives there, in fact, my mom is visiting right now. Growing up being a dual citizen was really neat. It’s not something that’s very common,” he explained, “I’ve always been a big Jays fan and of course grew up watching those Leafs.”
When asked if the Jays’ system was his ideal landing place, he smiled and said, “Honestly at this point, whoever values me and wants to give me an opportunity.”
For now, Cottam won’t be with the Ghost Hounds next season. They’ll be on hiatus as the league has an odd number of teams, so one was forced to sit out while the league works on expanding its ranks to 12.
Instead, he’ll find himself with the Long Island Ducks who start their 2024 campaign on April 25 – assuming he doesn’t find a spot with an affiliated team.
He says the plan for now is to keep things fun while he continues along his path. A lesson he learned from his time in university.
“It becomes a grind, it truly does. But at the same time, it’s a fun game. You’re meant to have fun. There’s so many people that would kill to be in your spot, so remembering that and making sure you’re still having fun is the most important thing.”
Independent/Foreign Leagues
Top Offensive Player Of The Year
(Renamed the Murray Zuk award for 2021 season)
2008 — Drew Miller (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.
2009 — Pete LaForest (Hull, Que.) Quebec Capitales and Colin Moro (Calgary, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.
2010 - Drew Miller (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.
2011 – Matt Rogelstad (Port Moody, BC) Edmonton Capitals.
2012 – Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, Ont.) Quebec Capitales.
2013 – Jonathan Malo (Laval, Que.) Quebec Capitales.
2014 - Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, Ont.) Quebec Capitales.
2015 - Jim Adduci (Burnaby, BC) Lotte Giants, Korea.
2016 - Carter Bell, (Courtenay, BC) Joliet Slammers.
2017 - Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns/triple-A El Paso.
2018 _ Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns, Korea
2019 _ Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns, Korea
2020 _ Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns, Korea
2021 _ David Glaude (Quebec City, Que.) Équipe Québec
2022 _ L.P. Pelletier (Montreal, Que.) Trois-Rivières Aigles.