This Potential Athletics All-Star Has Some Clear Issues
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The A's offense at this point in the season is not exactly where we expected it to be.
Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker aren't performing up to expectations, and Jacob Wilson has been out for a few weeks with an injury.
However, there have been some real bright spots on the A's offense as well. Nick Kurtz has finally turned up for the offense. Shea Langeliers is playing himself into the starting catcher role for the American All-Star team. And also, Carlos Cortes, who was deemed likely a platoon option, has broken out.
With Nick Kurtz primarily hitting in the two hole, manager Mark Kotsay has elected to put Carlos Cortes atop the lineup against righties to get on base for Nick Kurtz. Since the offense has been heating up, this strategy has worked out well for the A's.
Carlos Cortes' Great Bat
Last season, we all saw a glimpse of what Carlos Cortes could do at the major league level, and that is hitting well against right-handers. However, nobody could've expected him to hit well enough to become the everyday leadoff hitter for this A's lineup.
With Lawrence Butler on a huge contract, you would expect the A's to roll him out more days in right field than the cheap Cortes. However, Butler's production has been terrible to start the season, which leaves the A's putting Cortes in right field every day against righties.
People really need to start paying attention to what Carlos Cortes is doing in the 4th outfield spot for the A’s…
— Chris Caray (@ChrisCaray) April 11, 2026
After 6 MiLB seasons with NYM, he came to A’s org.
Called up last year, and in 109 MLB at-bats? .321 w/ 5 HR (.925 OPS).
Absolute stud. pic.twitter.com/xVlAdKNUMg
The slugging Cortes currently holds a .322 batting average in 165 plate appearances this season. He notably holds an OPS of .909.
There's no doubt that Cortes has been hitting the cover off the baseball. He sits in the 99th percentile in expected batting average with a .310 xBA. He's also shown an ability to consistently put the ball in play, ranking in the 98th percentile in K%. He strikes out less than 10% of his plate appearances.
Carlos Cortes' Struggles in the Field
Cortes surely has been one of the most consistent hitters for the team, but certainly has not been an all-around player. One big issue in his game is his glove.
One cool feature about Carlos Cortes is the fact that he's actually a switch-thrower. This means that he can throw with both arms and has actually used both in the big leagues. When he plays the outfield, he puts his glove on his right hand and throws left-handed. If he needs to play the infield, he does the opposite.
Carlos Cortes attempts a diving, backhanded grab and nearly sets up the inside the park homer. #Athletics pic.twitter.com/Au70zF1OTa
— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 4, 2026
This season, Cortes has exclusively played the outfield and has had a rough time out there. He's in the third percentile of fielding value, which is horrible. He's in the second percentile in terms of range and the 19th percentile for speed.
Having Cortes play the outfield really hurts the A's defensively. Luckily for the team, Cortes doesn't usually make it into the later innings, as usually opposing teams will put a lefty on the mound, and Kotsay will pinch hit Cortes for Colby Thomas. This allows for a better matchup and also effectively removes Cortes from the outfield.
Because Carlos Cortes' glove has been so bad in the outfield, it's probably time to see if he can slot his way into second base playing time, or switch with Brent Rooker in the designated hitter spot.
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Dylan Quinn grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about his favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but he loves the team and all of the current and former players so much. Quinn currently attends school at Penn State Scranton where he plays baseball.
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