Nestor Cortes emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 MLB season, earning an All-Star nod and finishing with a 2.44 ERA as arguably the best arm in a Yankees rotation that included Gerrit Cole.
Now, as the crafty lefty told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, he is putting that breakout campaign behind him, and is now focused on proving that his 2022 was no fluke.
“I have to do it for another year for me to actually be like, this is where I’m at and where I belong,” Cortes told Kirschner. “Like I know I belong and know I can do the work, but I feel like anyone can have a really good year.
It’s just, can you repeat it? That’s the main thing for me.”
In a way, Cortes has already shown he can repeat it. in 2021, he came on as a reliable starter, posting a 2.90 ERA while making 14 starts out of 22 appearances. By 2022, all 28 appearances were in a starting role, and now, he is out to prove that he can do it all again, and any questions about his prolonged durability should be silenced.
“I want to show that last year wasn’t a fluke and I’m durable,” Cortes told Kirschner. “That’s the name of the game for starting pitchers. Starting pitchers are valued off of how many innings you can go every five days. I think there’s no value, well maybe some value, in pitching 100 innings and having a 1.00 ERA. I’d rather have a 3.50 ERA and pitch 200 innings.”
Of course, best case scenario for the Yanks would be for Cortes to maintain last year’s production over a span of 200 innings. He’s already done it over 158, and while he is just shaking off a hamstring injury that knocked him out of the World Baseball Classic, Cortes is back on the mound, back on his path to show that his 2022 breakout was a sign of things to come, and not just a feel-good story.
“I know I had a good year last year, but it’s not about what you already did,” Cortes said. “It’s about what you’re going to do next. I still want to make the All-Star team. I still want to be one of the top pitchers in the league. No matter how much money you make or how much you can make, that’s always still the goal.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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