Nestor Cortés Jr. (born December 10, 1994), nicknamed Nasty Nestor and Hialeah Kid, is a Cuban-American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners. The Yankees selected Cortés in the 36th round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. Taken by the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft after the 2017 season, he made his MLB debut with them in 2018 before returning to the Yankees. Cortés pitched for the Yankees in 2019 and the Mariners in 2020, rejoining the Yankees in 2021. Cortés was an MLB All-Star in 2022.

Early life

Cortés was born in Surgidero de Batabanó, Cuba. When he was seven months old, his father, Nestor Cortés Sr., won the visa lottery, and they relocated to the United States in the city of Hialeah, Florida. His father had been sentenced to one year in prison after a failed attempt to defect from Cuba in 1992. Nestor Sr. met his wife, Yuslaidy, the following year. Cortés started playing baseball at the age of four. His father took him to see the Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball play at

Pro Player Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes football, Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miam ...

in Miami Gardens.

Career

Cortés attended Hialeah High School in Hialeah, Florida. He committed to play college baseball at Florida International University.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees selected him in the 36th round of the

. He signed with the Yankees, receiving an $85,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, and made his professional debut that year with the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where he had a 0–1 win–loss record with a 4.42 earned run average (ERA) in

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. He returned there in 2014, going 1–2 with a 2.27 ERA in 11 games (two starts). Cortés spent 2015 with the Pulaski Yankees of the Rookie-level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

, where he compiled a 6–3 record with a 2.26 ERA in 12 games (ten starts). In 2016, he pitched for the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League, Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, pitching to a combined 11–4 record with a 1.53 ERA in 21 games (12 starts). Cortés played 2017 with Tampa, Trenton, and the RailRiders. where he was 7–4 with a 2.06 ERA in 30 games (13 starts).

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles selected Cortés from the Yankees organization in the 2017 Rule 5 draft. With the Orioles, Cortés competed for a spot on the Orioles'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster as either a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

or relief pitcher. He made the Orioles' Opening Day roster in 2018 as a relief pitcher, and made his major league debut on March 31. Cortés allowed a grand slam to Josh Reddick on April 3, and then a walk with the bases loaded to Curtis Granderson followed by a grand slam by Josh Donaldson on April 9. The Orioles

designated Designation (from Latin ''designatio'') is the process of determining an incumbent's successor. A candidate that won an election for example, is the ''designated'' holder of the office the candidate has been elected to, up until the candidate's i ...

Cortés for assignment the next day.

New York Yankees (second stint)

On April 13, 2018, the Orioles returned Cortes to the Yankees. He played in one game for Trenton before returning to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, combining for a 6–6 record and a 3.68 ERA in 24 games. After the regular season, Cortes played for the Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Winter League, where he learned how to throw a cut fastball. The Yankees invited Cortés to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

as a non-roster player in 2019. He did not make the team and was assigned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees promoted him to the major leagues on May 9. On June 15, he earned his first major league win, striking out seven batters, and allowing two earned runs in five innings. On June 21, 2019, he was optioned to Triple-A with Aaron Judge coming off the injured list. He was 5–1 with an ERA of 5.67 in 33 games.

Seattle Mariners

On November 25, 2019, Cortes was traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for international bonus pool money. In 2020, Cortes gave up 13 runs over innings pitched. On October 22, 2020, Cortes was outrighted off of the 40-man roster after he was activated from the 60-day disabled list, and elected free agency.

New York Yankees (third stint)

On December 20, 2020, Cortes signed a minor league contract to return to the New York Yankees organization. The Yankees promoted Cortes to the major leagues on May 30, 2021. Throughout the 2021 season Cortes became a favorite of Yankees fans, as his signature mustache, along with his unique style of pitching and many productive appearances garnered him much praise, along with the moniker "Nasty Nestor." He finished the year with 93 innings pitched over 22 games (14 started) to go along with a 2.90 ERA and 103 strikeouts. Cortes began the 2022 season in the Yankees starting rotation. Cortes threw an immaculate inning against the Orioles on April 16, 2022. Against the Texas Rangers on May 9, Cortes pitched innings before allowing his first hit. 2022 saw the first All-Star Game appearance for Cortes, where in the bottom of the sixth inning, he registered two strikeouts, a

hit by pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

, and a walk in an inning pitched. In November 2022, it was announced that Cortes intended to represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in March 2023.

Player profile

Cortés throws a four-seam fastball that averages approximately . He also throws a cutter, slider, changeup and a less common curveball. His curveball has been registered as slow as . Cortés hides the ball well in his wind-up, which helps to alleviate the problems presented by his shorter frame. When throwing a slider or

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, his arm angle is slightly lower than his four-seam fastball. Cortés also employs trickery in his wind-up to throw hitters off. He sometimes varies his step timing and sometimes pauses and rocks back and forth in the middle of his wind-up, and occasionally abbreviates his wind-up and releases the ball very quickly.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortes, Nestor 1994 births Living people People from Mayabeque Province Hialeah Senior High School alumni Baseball players from Florida Major League Baseball pitchers Baltimore Orioles players New York Yankees players Seattle Mariners players American League All-Stars Gulf Coast Yankees players Pulaski Yankees players Charleston RiverDogs players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Scottsdale Scorpions players Estrellas Orientales players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Cuban emigrants to the United States