Nestor Cortes’s baseball career has been defined by challenges and unexpected triumphs. The left-handed pitcher was originally drafted by the Yankees as a 36th-round pick in 2013. He was then selected by the Orioles in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, only to be returned to the Yankees the following year. “Nasty Nestor” achieved success in the Big Apple, where he endeared himself to fans with his signature mustache and deceptive wind-up.
The southpaw’s best season came in 2022, when he earned his first All-Star selection and finished eighth in American League Cy Young voting (12-4, 2.44 ERA).
While in New York with the San Diego Padres to play the Mets, Cortes spoke about his love of collecting and how it has grown over the years.
2020 Topps Chrome Update Sapphire #U196 Nestor Cortes RC
Cortes began collecting baseball cards during his childhood in Hialeah, Florida. A diehard fan of the Florida Marlins, Cortes mostly collected cards of his favorite Marlins players. He would arrange cards in binders to reflect each game’s starting lineup. Said Cortes, “I didn’t know the value of them, didn’t care for the value of them. I just enjoyed being able to collect cards and I remember going into the ballpark and thinking about the team cards and collecting those … so I had a lot of fun with it, and I wish I had those cards still today.”
Cortes still collects cards, often of his current and former teammates. His most prized possession is a dual card of former Yankee teammates Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge that he had them sign in person.
He collects other sports as well, including football, basketball, and soccer, and even some NASCAR. While he has yet to add Pokémon cards to his collection, Cortes expressed interest in eventually entering that space.
One of Cortes’s most memorable collecting experiences came when he was looking to buy some of his own cards last year. He discovered a collector in New Zealand who owned about 250 Cortes cards. The collector was not originally intent on selling the items, but he changed his mind when he learned that Cortes himself was interested.
When asked to name a price, the collector told Cortes, “Look, I don’t want to make money off you – I just want the money that I’ve spent on these.”
He then presented Cortes with a spreadsheet detailing what cards he owned, when and where he had bought them, and how much they cost. After reviewing the information, Cortes and the collector came to an agreement.
Much like his career, Cortes’s collection has grown in unexpected ways, shaped more by curiosity and connections than by chasing value.
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2016 Elite Extra Edition Autographs #178 Nestor Cortes
2025 Topps ’90 Topps Autographs #90ANC Nestor Cortes
2025 Topps Chrome Sapphire Gold Refractors #22 Nestor Cortes /50
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