Yankees' Nestor Cortes Looking to Pick Up Where He Left Off Last Season

Cortes had a career year in 2021, posting a 2.90 ERA over 22 appearances with the big-league club.

TAMPA — What a difference a year can make.

This time last year, Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. began the 2021 regular season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. One spring later, after a career year with the big-league club, the deceptive southpaw figures to play a key role in New York's starting rotation.

"I want to pick up where I left off," Cortes told Inside The Pinstripes at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Sunday. "Obviously, the main goal here is to stay healthy and make sure the body's right for the task at hand."

Cortes was called up to the Yankees at the very end of May last season after five appearances with the RailRiders. He proceeded to appear in 22 games with the Yankees, posting a spectacular 2.90 ERA across 93 frames.

The bulk of his season in pinstripes was spent in the starting staff. After seven relief appearances, Cortes started the second game of a doubleheader against the Mets on July 4. He never looked back, pitching to the tune of a 3.07 ERA as a starter through the conclusion of the regular season, striking out 75 batters in 14 starts. 

New York went 10-4 in those ballgames. 

READ: Nestor Cortes Shining in Expanded Role By Being 'Different'

Barring any moves or injuries leading up to Opening Day next month, the 27-year-old will likely occupy the fifth and final spot in New York's rotation (behind Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon). 

Asked if the Yankees have told him what his role will be this season, rather than jumping to that educated presumption, Cortes said that he's being built up as a starter. 

"Hopefully that means something," he said. "Obviously it's the first week, so we'll see down the line how things pan out."

Nestor Cortes, Messing with Timing.

[You can't hit if you're laughing 😏] pic.twitter.com/iOXtUwTi2u

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 3, 2022

Manager Aaron Boone hinted at Cortes' fit on this club's staff last week, reiterating that while the left-hander is versatile and can perform in any spot, his numbers as a starter are "real."

"The comfort that you have with him is that he's really good in a lot of roles," Boone said. "He's durable, he's really competitive and wants the ball. So I feel comfortable slotting him in wherever. But I absolutely think that what we saw out of him as a starter last year is real and something he's capable of continuing to build on."

Rather than traveling to the Dominican Republic to play this past offseason, Cortes revealed that he stayed home to take care of his body. He did more than just relax this winter, though, mentioning he worked on his changeup quite a bit, learning new grips and different ways to throw it consistently for strikes. 

.@M_Marakovits speaks with pitching coach Matt Blake about the upcoming season with Nestor Cortes Jr.

Matt Blake: "There's a lot of ways to utilize Nestor's skill." pic.twitter.com/VVbYU4OxvM

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 17, 2022

This will be Cortes' fifth big-league season. He's only pitched in more than five games in two of his four MLB campaigns, but hearing a reminder that he's technically a five-year vet brought a smile to the southpaw's face.

"It's real crazy," he said. "Obviously, I have parts of five, not a full five. But yeah, I would have never imagined I've had parts of five years. It's pretty cool to think about it."

As for New York's rotation as a whole, a unit that's been placed under a microscope this spring considering the Yankees' lack of activity in free agency and on the trade market, Cortes assured that he and his fellow starters have what it takes to get the job done in 2022.

"Listen, last year, I thought we had a pretty good pitching staff for the whole year. I think our starters did a really good job and our bullpen, obviously, year in year out, holds it down," Cortes said. "The fact that we haven't added anybody doesn't mean that we can't be what we were last year. I think we're in the right place, we got healthy people, so I think we're in a good spot."

MORE:

• Aaron Boone Has No Problems With Yankees Adding Member of Sign-Stealing Astros
• Yankees' Luis Severino Is Focused on Staying Healthy This Spring
• Report: Yankees Focused On Pitching; Have Eyes On These 2 Starters

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