The Cortes File
Team: New York Yankees
Height: 5-11
Weight: 210
Age: 28
Birthday: 12/10/1994
Fastball Velo: 91.7 mph
College: Committed to Florida International University, decided to go pro
Contract: 1-year, TBD (arbitration)
WAG: Yuslaidy Cortes
Children: N/A
Record/Accomplishments
- One All-Star selection, 2022
Nasty Nestor Cortes
Nestor Cortes isn't built like a big-league pitcher. He doesn't look like one on the mound. He certainly doesn't throw as hard as the average MLB pitcher, let alone the fireballers that have taken over the league.
Yet, Cortes has made an All-Star team, competed for Cy Young Awards, and turned himself into a vital part of the New York Yankees rotation.
"Nasty Nestor" knew the conventional ways would've landed him by the wayside, so he threw them out. He embraced the unconventional and was rewarded for it. Cortes baffles hitters by screwing with their timing. In his delivery, he has perfected the art of rocking back and forth, pausing, and varying his mechanics.
The result? A revitalized career and some funny moments. When facing Shohei Ohtani, one of the league's best, Cortes fully embraced his deceptive mantra, to the amusement of the man standing 60 feet away.
He's gained national attention for his antics, but this isn't a gimmick. It's a survival skill for one of the league's craftiest pitchers, keeping hitters off balance to get his own career on track.