Capitalize on Nestor Cortes' run in rotation
Colin Henderson breaks down why New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes is finding success as a spot starter in the rotation.
Video Transcript
COLIN HENDERSON: The time has officially come for us to start taking note of Nestor Cortes. The Yankee pitcher threw seven innings of 2-run ball against the Twins on Friday, striking out 7 while giving up 2 earned in his second consecutive win. This improved his season line to 2 and 1 with a 2.56 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts across 56 and 1/3 innings. The bulk reliever turned opener turned spot starter now looks like a member of a Yankee rotation, at least for a little longer, after his string of strong outings.
Over his last five starts, Cortez has a 3.14 ERA, striking out 26 across 29 innings. He has back-to-back quality starts with 7 strikeouts apiece while throwing 6 and 7 innings, respectively, easily the two longest starts of the year.
A deceptive pitcher, Cortez likes to mess with hitters' timing, especially this year, with great results. Hitters are only hitting a 0.165 against his four-seam fastball this year, while last season, they torched his heater to the tune of a 0.462 batting average. This has helped set up his secondary pitches, all of which have been thrown to devastating effects in comparison to years prior.
So long as Cortez has a spot in the rotation for one of baseball's hottest teams, he remains firmly in the streaming category and should be rostered in all deep leagues, as smart managers should ride the streak until he moves back into the bullpen sometime in the future.
