| Carlos Cortes | |
|---|---|
 Cortes with South Carolina | |
| Athletics – No. 26 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1997-06-30) June 30, 1997 Orlando, Florida, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Switch | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 23, 2025, for the Athletics | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Batting average | .309 |
| Home runs | 4 |
| Runs batted in | 14 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Carlos Andres Cortes (born June 30, 1997) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025.
Amateur career
Cortes attended Lake Howell High School.[1] Cortes was drafted by the New York Mets in the 20th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign. He attended the University of South Carolina for two seasons (2017 and 2018) and played college baseball for the Gamecocks. In 2017, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.[2]
Cortes hit .265 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI his sophomore season in 2018 for the Gamecocks, and was ranked the 177th best prospect by Baseball America in the upcoming draft.
Professional career
New York Mets
Cortes was drafted by the Mets in the third round, with the 83rd overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft; he signed with them for a reported $1 million signing bonus on June 25, 2018.[3][4]
Cortes made his professional debut for the Low-A Brooklyn Cyclones, hitting .264/.338/.382 with four home runs and 24 RBI.[5] He spent the 2019 season with the High-A St. Lucie Mets.[6] Over 127 appearances for St. Lucie, Cortes slashed .255/.336/.397 with 11 home runs, 68 RBI, and 26 doubles. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Instead, he played in the Australian Baseball League for the Sydney Blue Sox that winter.[8]
Cortes spent the 2021 season with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies, where he batted .257/.332/.487 with 14 home runs and 57 RBI over 79 games.[9] He split the 2022 season between Binghamton and the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. In 123 appearances split between the two affiliates, Cortes slashed .223/.295/.369 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI.[10]
Cortes made 118 appearances for Triple-A Syracuse during the 2023 season, batting .241/.355/.428 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI.[11] He returned to Syracuse in 2024, playing in 83 games and hitting .246/.330/.456 with 16 home runs, 52 RBI, and three stolen bases. Cortes elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024.[12]
Athletics
On November 18, 2024, Cortes signed a minor league contract with the Athletics.[13] On July 15, 2025, the Athletics added Cortes to their 40-man roster and immediately optioned him back to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators.[14] On July 24, in a game against the Houston Astros, top of 2nd inning and his 2nd career at-bat, Cortes got his first MLB RBI on a sacrifice fly. In quick succession, bottom of the 3rd, he threw out a runner at second from far right field, and top of the 4th singled for his first MLB hit.[15] On September 6, Cortes hit his first career home run off of Scott Kingery of the Los Angeles Angels.[16]
References
- ^ Matt Connolly (February 9, 2017). "The next USC baseball star you've never heard of". The State. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "Carlos Cortes - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Sypa, Steve (June 5, 2018). "2018 Mets Draft profile: Carlos Cortes". Amazing Avenue. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ Bezjak, Lou. "Carlos Cortes turning pro, gets big signing bonus with New York Mets". The State. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ Mark Singelais (July 19, 2018). "Mets got their man in Carlos Cortes". Times Union. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ Mike Phillips (June 24, 2019). "Minor League Mondays: Carlos Cortes is an under the radar prospect at St. Lucie". thesportsdaily.com. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
- ^ "Cortes lighting it up in Australian Baseball League".
- ^ "Meet the Mets' 2021 Organization All-Stars".
- ^ "Carlos Cortes - Stats - Batting". fangraphs.com. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ "Carlos Cortes Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2024). "Minor League Free Agents 2024". Baseball America. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ "Transactions". MiLB.com. November 18, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- ^ Adams, Steve (July 16, 2025). "A's Select Carlos Cortes, Move Grant Holman To 60-Day IL". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ^ "A's vs. Astros Game Highlights (7/24/25) | MLB Highlights". YouTube. July 24, 2025.
- ^ "Athletics 17-4 Angels (Sep 6, 2025) Final Score". espn.com. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB · Baseball Reference · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Baseball Almanac
