Daniel Adam Cortes (born March 4, 1987) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. He was drafted by the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
in the seventh round of the
2005 Major League Baseball Draft. He also played in the
Kansas City Royals organization.
Professional career
Chicago White Sox
Cortes began his professional career in with the Rookie-Level
Bristol White Sox of the
Appalachian League. While playing under manager
Jerry Hairston, Cortes went 1–4 with a 5.17
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
and 38
strikeouts
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
in 15 games, even started. ''
Baseball America'' ranked Cortes as the 22nd best prospect in the White Sox organization.
In Cortes began his season with the Class-A
Kannapolis Intimidators
Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The ...
of the
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
. He went 3–9 with a 4.01 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 20 games, 19 starts. He was then traded to the Kansas City Royals along with pitcher
Tyler Lumsden in exchange for pitcher
Mike MacDougal
Robert Meiklejohn MacDougal (born March 5, 1977) is a former relief pitcher in professional baseball. He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Washingt ...
on July 24.
Kansas City Royals
Cortes finished the 2006 season with the Class-A
Burlington Bees
The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball' ...
of the
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
. He went 1–2 with a 6.69 ERA with 30 strikeouts in seven games, all starts.
In Cortes played for the Class-A Advanced
Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium.
...
of the
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
. He went 8–8 with a 3.07 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 23 games, all starts. He was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 20 to August 26. Cortes was again awarded Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 27 to September 2.
He played for the Double-A
Northwest Arkansas Naturals
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, whic ...
of the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
in . Cortes went 10–4 with a 3.78 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 23 games, all starts. Before the season he was ranked as the second best prospect in the Royals' organization by ''Baseball America.'' He was also named to the Texas League All-Star team. He did miss playing time while on the
disabled list. The Royals recognized Cortes as the top pitcher for the Double-A Naturals and he was selected to play in the
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...
at the end of the '08 season.
In January, Cortes received the "
Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year Award" from the Royals. He attended
spring training with the Royals in '09 as a
non-roster invitee
A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...
. Cortes was named a "Player to Watch" by
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
before the season. He went 6–6 with a 3.92 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 16 games, 15 starts with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. On July 10 he was traded by the Royals with Derrick Saito to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for
Yuniesky Betancourt.
Seattle Mariners
After the trade Cortes was assigned to the Double-A
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx
The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...
. Cortes went 1–5 with a 4.94 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 10 games, all starts. He was added to the Mariners
40-man roster
A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...
on November 20.
On December 12, 2011, the Mariners announced via their Twitter feed that Cortes had been non-tendered along with catcher
Chris Gimenez
Christopher Paul Gimenez ( ; born December 27, 1982) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Minnes ...
.
Washington Nationals
Cortes signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
on January 4, 2012. His contract was voided on February 29, after he failed his physical with the Nationals.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Cortes signed a minor league contract with the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
on March 15, 2013.
Personal life
Cortes, who had taken a summer job at a sporting goods store, was taken
bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thou ...
by his new co-workers and when he attempted to leave the bowling alley he was stabbed after trying to break up a confrontation between his co-worker and the stabber.
His co-worker died and Cortes was hospitalized.
He questioned if he would be able to pitch again since the injury was on his throwing arm.
He did however make a full recovery.
On January 1, 2009, Cortes was arrested on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct in
Fayetteville, Arkansas.
According to police accounts, Cortes was arrested after he allegedly urinated on a fence outside Grub's Bar & Grille.
After five hours in jail, Cortes was released when he posted a $655 bond.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortes, Dan
1987 births
Living people
Águilas de Mexicali players
Baseball players from California
Bristol White Sox players
Burlington Bees players
Cardenales de Lara players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Kannapolis Intimidators players
Lake Elsinore Storm players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mobile BayBears players
Northwest Arkansas Naturals players
Seattle Mariners players
Sportspeople from Pomona, California
Surprise Rafters players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
Tucson Padres players
West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players
Wilmington Blue Rocks players
York Revolution players