Nasty Nestor, Nearly Untouchable

An EMerging Ace

Gerrit Cole is the multi-year, multi-million-dollar man on the mound in the Bronx and nothing can take that away from him. He is not the ace of the Yankees pitching staff, however. That title currently belongs to Nestor Cortes. If that name surprises you, it is most likely because you have not paid enough attention to the Yankees left-hander this season. Early on in the 2022 campaign, Cortes has compiled seven starts, with a 2-1 record and a 1.35 ERA. He is coming off back-to-back 7 plus inning starts, just shy of a no-hitter in his previous start against the Texas Rangers and allowing just one run over eight innings against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. In all seven starts this season, he has allowed two runs or fewer. His rise to prominence has been fun to watch, but where did these dominant performances come from?

The baseball journey for the man they call “Nasty Nestor” started in Hialeah, Florida. After graduating from Hialeah High School, he played his college ball at Florida International University. Cortes was not highly touted or on any scouts’ radars coming into the 2013 MLB Draft. The Yankees selected him in the 36th round that year, essentially a draftee that was never going to see the light of day. He spent four years in the organization’s farm system and was picked up in the Rule 5 draft by the Baltimore Orioles in 2017. The Rule 5 draft, for those not familiar with the process, prevents teams from hoarding an abundance of young talent by allowing other organizations to select them and provide opportunities to start in the big leagues. Cortes’s run with the Orioles was short lived as he made his debut on March 31, 2018, as a relief pitcher, and was designated for assignment on April 10.

Fortunately, the story did not end there. The “Hialeah Kid” would return to the Yankees three days later but after struggling in the minors, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners in November 2019. The following October, his ineffectiveness reared its ugly head as he was booted off the 40-man roster and sent into free agency. Once again, he returned to the Yankees, but the result was different this time around. In 2021, he quickly found his groove, appearing in 22 games, with 14 starts and a 2.90 ERA. He endeared himself to the tough Bronx crowd with his signature mustache, funky delivery and arm angles, and parlayed that success into a permanent spot in the rotation to start this current campaign.

Hialeah Heat in the Boogie Down Bronx

Now, his remarkable resolve and baseball journey seems far from over. He is one of the most dominant starters in the game with an array of pitches and masterful control that simply baffles opposing hitters. The radar gun does not light up when he starts, with his fastball sitting at 90-91 mph, but there is a difference between being a pitcher and a thrower. Today’s game has grown accustomed to 98-100 mph flamethrowers, so when a pitcher knows his stuff does not jump off the page, he has to make adjustments that focus on pinpoint accuracy and delivery. It helped C.C. Sabathia find himself later in his career and it is working wonders for Cortes. New Yorkers know that if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, and nasty Nestor is certainly making a name for himself in the city that never sleeps.