Nestor Cortes
29-Year-Old
2024 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
7.20
WHIP
1.40
K
5
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
The crafty lefty cemented his spot in the Yankees' starting rotation in 2022 with a 2.44 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 163:38 K:BB across 158.1 innings, but he made just 12 starts in 2023 due to a rotator cuff strain. Cortes also struggled when available last season and finished with a 4.97 ERA over 63.1 innings to go along with a 1.6 HR/9 and a career-worst 40.1 percent hard-hit rate. A 3.71 xERA indicates some unfortunate results, while a 4.84 xFIP paints a less favorable underlying picture. Cortes' reliance on different arm angles and deliveries leaves less margin for error on his pitches, especially since his stuff doesn't really stand out. It also makes him more difficult to evaluate, as the numbers themselves tell less of a story than with most pitchers. A positive regression seems likely in 2024, but Cortes' lack of year-to-year track record leaves some risk coming off a poor campaign. Read Past Outlooks
Stumbles early
Cortes didn't factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks over five innings in a 5-4 win over Houston. He struck out five.
ANALYSIS
The Astros got to Cortes early Thursday, scoring three runs in the opening inning before Jake Meyers led off the second with a solo homer. While it looked like the game could get out of hand, Cortes recovered to set down 12 of the final 13 batters he faced, ultimately winding up with a no-decision, as the Yankees scored five unanswered runs in a comeback win. New York is perhaps counting on a bounce-back campaign from Cortes after he made just 12 starts last year, going 5-2 with a 4.97 ERA. The left-hander is tentatively lined up for a road matchup with the Diamondbacks in his next outing.
The Astros got to Cortes early Thursday, scoring three runs in the opening inning before Jake Meyers led off the second with a solo homer. While it looked like the game could get out of hand, Cortes recovered to set down 12 of the final 13 batters he faced, ultimately winding up with a no-decision, as the Yankees scored five unanswered runs in a comeback win. New York is perhaps counting on a bounce-back campaign from Cortes after he made just 12 starts last year, going 5-2 with a 4.97 ERA. The left-hander is tentatively lined up for a road matchup with the Diamondbacks in his next outing.
Pitching Stats
Loading Pitching Stats...
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Minor League Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Pitching Game Log...
Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
76
Last 10 Games
76
Last 5 Games
76
How many pitches does Nestor Cortes generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Nestor Cortes generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-40%
BAA vs LHP
2024
-25%
BAA vs LHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .131 | 49 | 10 | 17 | 3 | |||
Since 2022vs Right | .220 | 186 | 50 | 155 | 25 | |||
2024vs Left | .200 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
2024vs Right | .267 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |||
2023vs Left | .163 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 2 | |||
2023vs Right | .261 | 53 | 18 | 52 | 9 | |||
2022vs Left | .110 | 33 | 7 | 9 | 1 | |||
2022vs Right | .202 | 130 | 31 | 99 | 15 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-30%
ERA at Home
2024
-100%
ERA at Home
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | 2.74 | 0.93 | 125.0 | 9.1 | 2.3 | ||||
Since 2022Away | 3.90 | 1.14 | 101.2 | 9.6 | 2.5 | ||||
2024Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2024Away | 7.20 | 1.40 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 3.6 | ||||
2023Home | 4.58 | 1.18 | 37.1 | 8.9 | 2.2 | ||||
2023Away | 5.54 | 1.35 | 26.0 | 10.4 | 3.8 | ||||
2022Home | 1.95 | 0.82 | 87.2 | 9.1 | 2.4 | ||||
2022Away | 3.06 | 1.05 | 70.2 | 9.4 | 1.9 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Nestor Cortes compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
3.35K/9
9.5BB/9
2.8HR/9
1.6Fastball
91.6 mphERA
4.97WHIP
1.25BABIP
.301GB/FB
0.51Left On Base
67.6%Exit Velocity
82.2 mphBarrels/BBE
5.0%Spin Rate
2300 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
23.9%Swinging Strike
11.1%Advanced Pitching Stats
Loading Advanced Pitching Stats...
Defensive Stats
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Stats Vs Today's Lineup
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Nestor Cortes See More
Tarik Skubal gets an easy matchup against the White Sox on Opening Day, making him worth his high price tag on DraftKings.
Stacking the Reds against Josiah Gray and the Nationals could be the key to Opening Day success in your Yahoo MLB daily fantasy lineups.
Even with a tough matchup against the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park on Opening Day, Spencer Strider takes the top spot in the first Weekly Pitcher Rankings of the year.
Injuries and signings have caused plenty of shifts in our rankings over the last two weeks, with Elly De La Cruz jumping up six spots due to teammates missing time.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Option for Opening Day
Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Cortes "could be" in the mix to start for the Yankees on Opening Day, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
ANALYSIS
Boone acknowledged the team will need to shift some pitchers' schedules around in the wake of Gerrit Cole's elbow injury, and Cortes could be the best remaining option for Opening Day. He's coming off a rough 2023, as he made just 12 starts due to a shoulder strain and posted a 4.97 ERA across 63.1 innings. Regardless of whether or not he pitches in the opener, the 29-year-old will be a key rotation piece for the Yankees in 2024.
Boone acknowledged the team will need to shift some pitchers' schedules around in the wake of Gerrit Cole's elbow injury, and Cortes could be the best remaining option for Opening Day. He's coming off a rough 2023, as he made just 12 starts due to a shoulder strain and posted a 4.97 ERA across 63.1 innings. Regardless of whether or not he pitches in the opener, the 29-year-old will be a key rotation piece for the Yankees in 2024.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
If you go back and look at Cortes's 2022 outlook, you can see he teased at what was possible, but without a large body of work, everyone was right to be skeptical of what Cortes would be as a starter. Those who took the chance in the late rounds were greatly rewarded by one of the best late round steals in 2022 as the lefty picked up where he left off in 2021 for most of the 2022 season. Cortes uses varying arm angles, deliveries, and pitches to frustrate hitters all season. 75% of what he threw were four-seamer and cutters, and those two pitches were paired so well that the league hit below .200 against both pitches while all five of his offerings had whiff rates above 20%. In 330 innings of work, he has a career 80% LOB rate and a .266 BABIP, so his 2022 numbers ( 79%, .243) are not terribly out of line and a continuation of what he did in 2021. The stuff is not paritcularly special, but his ability to spin and sequence it is certainly special and being a lefty in Yankee Stadium doesn't hurt either. The big question is if he can put up consecutive seasons of workload as he has never done so.
More Fantasy News
Falters in final tune-up
Cortes tossed four innings against Atlanta in a Grapefruit League game Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Starting Opening Day
Manager Aaron Boone on Friday named Cortes the Yankees' starter for Opening Day against the Astros on March 28, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Expects to be ready for Opening Day
Cortes (shoulder) said Friday that he expects to be ready for Opening Day, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Throwing off mound without issue
Cortes (shoulder) said Thursday that he's already thrown four live batting practice sessions this spring, YES Network reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Set to earn $3.95 million in 2024
Cortes (shoulder) signed a one-year, $3.95 million contract with the Yankees on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.