Néstor Cortes Jr. has been a member of the Yankees since 2013, except for a couple months in Baltimore (2018) and a shortened season in Seattle (2020). In all these years, he couldn’t secure a spot in New York’s staff. The former 36th-round pick simply wasn’t good enough.
In 2021, however, Cortes looks much, much better. His control and command are both dramatically improved, and he uses deception, five different offerings, quick pitches, several windups, and every surprise in his bag of tricks to succeed.
That’s the key word. To this point, Cortes has succeeded, even though he had to settle for a minor-league contract in the offseason with only a non-roster invitation to spring training.