Cortes Claims Carolina League Pitching Award

August 28, 2007 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release

Wilmington, DE - Turning in perhaps his finest outing of the season last Thursday, Wilmington Blue Rocks right-hander Dan Cortes captured the Carolina League's Pitcher of the Week award for August 20-26, as announced by the league office Monday evening. In his lone start of the week, the 20-year-old Pomona, CA native fashioned seven shutout innings against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, as the Blue Rocks rolled to an 8-0 victory. The seven innings of work were tied for Cortes' season-high, as were his eight strikeouts on the night. He allowed just four hits.

Cortes, the youngest current Blue Rock, becomes the fifth different Wilmington player to fetch a weekly league honor this season, joining fellow pitchers Rowdy Hardy (twice) and Tyler Chambliss, right-fielder Brian McFall, and former Blue Rock first baseman/DH Kila Kaaihue, who was promoted to Double-A in mid-June.

Ranked as the No. 30 prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization prior the season by Baseball America, Cortes has won four straight decisions and has allowed only four earned runs over his last 35.0 innings, spanning six starts. For the season, he is 6-8 with a 3.41 ERA and 106 strikeouts. Entering action on Tuesday, August 28, Cortes ranks fifth in the league in ERA, while his strikeout total is second best in the Royals minor league system.

The Kansas City Royals acquired Cortes from the Chicago White Sox along with left-hander Tyler Lumsden in exchange for relief pitcher Mike MacDougal on June 24, 2006. The White Sox drafted Cortes in the seventh round of the 2005 June draft.

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