Carlos Cortes Is Becoming Too Good To Ignore

Over the past two years, the Athletics have prioritized signing their core players to extensions, keeping them with the team for the foreseeable future. First it was Brent Rooker, then Lawrence Butler, followed by Tyler Soderstrom – two outfielders and a DH.

The outfield began to take shape, with the final spot likely going to either Denzel Clarke or Zack Gelof until rookie Colby Thomas and prospect Henry Bolte were given a chance.

Then Carlos Cortes became too hard to ignore.

Cortes, who soon turns 29 and has spent seven seasons in the minors, debuted at the end of 2025 and turned some heads. Across 42 games, he slashed .309/.323/.543 with four home runs and a 132 wRC+. A great debut, but considering his path, one that many did not fully believe to be true.

Well, 2026 has only been better, and the A’s seem to have found another impactful bat.

Stats updated prior to games on April 27.

More Than a Flash in the Pan

Even the most loyal A’s fans had their doubts about Cortes. A minor league free agent who put up average numbers in Triple-A while in the Mets system did not show anything that would indicate a breakout. However, in 2025 his .322/.414/.603 slash in Triple-A earned him a late-season call-up.

What we saw with the A’s in 2025 was encouraging. A player with plus contract skills who drove the baseball enough to become interesting, but still somewhat of an afterthought. Not because of major holes in his game, but more due to the direction of the A’s and Cortes not aligning with their timeline.

However, the improvements we have seen in the early stages this season propelled him from a fun story and potential depth piece to a fixture in the heart of the A’s lineup.

Cortes’ improvement all starts with making better swing decisions. He has dropped his chase rate by 7% from last season, which has allowed him to attack more pitches he can do damage with. His in-zone contact has jumped from 80.7% to 86.7%, driving him well above league average.

Not chasing outside of the zone has cut his strikeout rate from 20% down to only 6% this season. This change has helped him walk at a 9.5% clip, up from only 3% last season. A simple, but difficult change, that has made the way pitchers attack him change and puts an advantage on his side.

Not only is Cortes making more contact, but harder contact. His average exit velocity has increased from 89.8 mph to 91.3 mph, and his barrel rate is up to 15% after sitting at 9% last season.

He doesn’t win with elite bat speed or selling out for power, but instead from a patient approach and doing the most with what pitchers are feeding him.

The graphic above shows Cortes’ spray chart from 2025 (left) and 2026 (right). A beautiful “U” to center field in 2025 is not just a coincidence, but instead evidence of a hitter who’s timing everything up perfectly.

What you see in 2026 is a bit more of an all-fields approach that also has more sustainable power. Last season, 46% of Cortes’ batted balls went to center field, which was successful, but it is obviously the hardest part of the field to homer to. This year, that number is 34%, with his pull side jumping by 5%.

Pitchers have tried to sneak fastballs past him up and in, and Cortes has turned those pitches into home runs three times. The fourth home run? A batting practice fastball, but hey, taking advantage of mistake pitches counts, too.

The reason Cortes was served a middle-middle fastball was because he did not chase the first two pitches and earned a 2-0 count, forcing Nathan Eovaldi back into the zone. It looks like a simple mistake on a highlight, but Cortes gets credit for earning that pitch.

The reason I think the success is sustainable is that pitchers have very few ways to attack Cortes. You notice the number of balls in his 2026 spray chart that are to the left side? Those are pitches, mostly well located, on the outside part of the zone that he is driving, not poking with a late swing, but driving, to left field.

How about with pitch types? Can you throw him a slider every time and expose a hole in his game? Not quite. Cortes is hitting .250 on breaking balls with a 21% whiff rate, which is low for the pitch type. He’s also demolishing fastballs to the tune of a .478 average with an average exit velocity of 93 mph and only a 12.5% whiff rate. Off-speed? A .273 average and 13.5% whiff rate.

Bottom line, Cortes is an excellent contact hitter that protects the zone better than most in baseball. His improvements when it comes to chasing outside of the zone have helped him take the next jump in his game.

While I doubt he finishes the year as one of the best producers in baseball, nothing is pointing to a major regression. The A’s have found a hidden gem that will give them well-above-average production and the much-needed depth in their lineup.

Final Thoughts

Everyone loves an underdog story. Cortes going from minor league organizational depth to a key piece in the A’s lineup is not the only underdog story here. The A’s unlocking castoffs is also a story deserving of some shine.

We saw a similar story with Miguel Andujar. Once he joined the A’s organization, they were able to turn him into a plus contact hitter and reshape his career. Cortes is the next success story, but I doubt he’ll be the last.

The organization as a whole has made major strides in the right direction over the past few seasons and deserves a lot of credit for their turnaround. Now, just figure out the pitching, and you have a team trending in the right direction.