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Baltimore Orioles: Nestor Cortes could be the diamond in the rough

By Kristen Bentley

BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 31: The Oriole Bird mascot waves a flag on the mound during Opening Day ceremonies before the start of the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 31, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 31: The Oriole Bird mascot waves a flag on the mound during Opening Day ceremonies before the start of the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 31, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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If the Baltimore Orioles minicamp has shown anything, it’s that there are a few guys who can pitch.

One of them happens to be the Baltimore Orioles Rule 5 draft pick, Nestor Cortes.

This 23-year-old pitcher may just be the diamond in the rough that Dan Duquette has been looking for to fill the Orioles rotation.

Why did the Yankees let him go?

It has to feel good, simply because Cortes was picked up from the New York Yankees. They simply had too many and four of their prospects, including Cortes, were snapped up by other teams. The Orioles also picked up another pitcher from the Yankees. The other two prospects went to the Seattle Mariners, according to Mark W. Sanchez with the New York Post.

The Yankees considered Cortes an intriguing player, but not of the likes of their young stars Gleybar Torres and Albert Abreu.

Beauty in the eye of the beholder

But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it appears that the Orioles are quite happy with what they are seeing from Cortes.

According to Jon Meoli with the Baltimore Sun, Cortes is working hard to show that he can be a starting pitcher. Meoli wrote: “Cortes wants a shot as a starter in spring training. Considering how Showalter and McDowell took a liking to him at minicamp, that option could present itself.”

Buck Showalter said Cortes can “manipulate the baseball.”

Pitching coach Roger McDowell said, “He was impressive. He can spin it.”

Kind words and impressive numbers

These are kind words for a young pitcher who has yet to throw anywhere but in the minor leagues. And, Cortes has not had to struggle. His career ERA in the minors is 2.06 – throughout Single-, Double-, and Triple-A ball. It is very clear that the kid can pitch.

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Cortes has done a little bit of everything, acting as a swingman in the Yankees organization. He has pitched in 94 games and started in 44 of them. In 2017, he pitched his first complete game in Triple-A in the International League. And, he’s moved up and down between all three levels in both 2016 and 2017. His problem was that there were just too many Yankees who were better – because the Yankees have so many prospects.

Now that he’s with the Orioles, there isn’t as much internal competition as there was with the Yankees. So, he could easily slot into a position in the pen and possibly the rotation.

Cortes is a left-handed pitcher who doesn’t throw with lightning speed, but he can reach 90 MPH with his fastball. He’s 5’11, 205 pounds, and has a deceptive delivery. For comparison, the San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto is 5’11, 220, and has a fastball that reaches 91 MPH. Most of his pitches are in the 80s, like Cortes. Size and intense velocity are not as important as movement and placement.

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According to Fangraphs, in his 2017 Triple-A season, Cortes averaged 10.61 strikeouts per nine innings in 48.1 innings pitched. In those innings, his ERA was 1.49 and his BABIP was .318. His WHIP was a lovely 1.06. If he can carry these numbers into the Big Leagues while pitching at Camden Yards, then Dan Duquette should be given a big, fat pay raise for finding a real gem.

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