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Scouting the Draft: Mets Take Carlos Cortes Again

By Dilip Sridhar

June 25, 2018 No comments

Carlos Cortes/Dwayne McLemore The State

Round 3, Pick 83 – Carlos Cortes, 2B

Ht: 5’8″ Wt: 185 lb. DOB: 6/30/1997

School: University of South Carolina

Stats

2018 – .265/.385/.500, 15 HR, 44 RBI, 15.5 BB%/11.5 SO%

2017 – .286/.368/.565, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 11.3 BB%/13.9 SO%

Background

Carlos Cortes was a pretty popular high school player in 2016. He could really hit but was limited defensively. The Mets took a flier on him in the 20th round but could not sign him. When teams do this, they often create a dialogue with these players and it helps them down the road even if they don’t sign that player in that particular draft. That is seemingly what the Mets did here in drafting Cortes back in 2016.

He has played all over the field in his career, even catching and pitching left-handed. He is also an extremely rare ambidextrous thrower using his right-hand in the infield and left in the outfield.

Scouting

MLB.com ranked Cortes 111th back in 2016 but did not make their lists this year. Some soured on him after not performing to the hype.

Baseball America ranked 177th and said: “Known for a short, compact, line drive-producing lefthanded swing, Cortes has swung with a more uphill bat path this season, reducing his contact but resulting in 15 home runs. When he’s at his best, Cortes controls the strike zone and shows a knack for finding the barrel, but his strong prep hitting track record has been shakier at the college level.”

Despite concerns over his bat, he always maintained good plate discipline in college and did not strike out much while playing in a strong pitchers conference. Even though he did not have the season he expected, he should be able to hit in the pros and could even hit for some power. That said, he will need to work on his game defensively.

Development 

Cortes has indicated that he will sign with the Mets though he hasn’t officially signed his contract yet.

Assuming the Mets handle Cortes like they do all college players, he will begin in Brooklyn with the chance of having a late season cameo in Columbia.