Colton Ledbetter

Colton Aaron Ledbetter (born November 15, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

Amateur career

Ledbetter attended Spain Park High School in Hoover, Alabama, where he played baseball. As a junior in 2019, he was named to the All-State team after hitting .388 with seven home runs, 33 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases over 34 games. During a shortened senior season in 2020, he batted .414 with four home runs, 14 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. He went undrafted in the shortened 2020 Major League Baseball draft, and enrolled at Samford University to play college baseball.

As a freshman at Samford in 2021, he played in 31 games and hit .271 with eight doubles and five RBIs. That summer, he played in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League for the Lima Locos with whom he batted .415 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs. For Samford in 2022, he started 57 games and hit .318 with 16 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. He played for the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League over the summer, hitting .365 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. After the season, he transferred to Mississippi State University. For the 2023 season with Mississippi State, he played in 53 games and hit .320 with 12 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.

Professional career

Ledbetter was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the second round with the 55th overall pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. On July 21, 2023, he signed with the Rays for an under-slot bonus of $1,297,500.

Ledbetter made his professional debut with the Florida Complex League Rays and was quickly promoted to the Charleston RiverDogs. Over 21 games for the season, he hit .274 with two home runs and 12 RBIs.