WEST SACRAMENTO -- Athletics outfielder Carlos Cortes got behind 1-2 in the count to lead off Friday’s game against the Padres in San Diego, but it didn’t stop him from lashing a single into center field on one hop.
One pitch later, when first baseman Nick Kurtz roped a double into the gap in left-center, Cortes charged around third base and dove headfirst into home plate, scoring all the way from first to give his club a quick 1-0 lead.
It was a perfect example of how Cortes fits in excellently as the A’s leadoff man, a job he has seized -- and has run with -- in recent days. Cortes has led off the past nine games for the A’s, and he’s 4-for-7 with a pair of walks and a home run in those opportunities. He’s 8-for-27 (.296) with a .907 OPS overall in the leadoff role.
“Cortes has done a really nice job in the leadoff spot,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said before Monday’s series opener against the Mariners at Sutter Health Park.
A 5-foot-7 outfielder with one career stolen base who described himself as a “short, slow lefty” in 2025 might not seem like the prototypical leadoff hitter, but nothing about Cortes is particularly normal. The Orlando native, in fact, is a switch-thrower, a natural left-hander in the outfield who is able to play the infield throwing right-handed if needed. And after becoming a Minor League free agent after eight seasons in the Mets organization, Cortes has defied the odds to become a success with the A’s: He owns a career .324 average and a .918 OPS in the Majors.
So why not try him at leadoff? Before Cortes’ first game leading off on May 18, Kotsay had tried several players in the top spot in the order, with Kurtz leading off for 26 games, shortstop Jacob Wilson for nine, catcher Shea Langeliers for five, outfielder Lawrence Butler for four and second baseman Jeff McNeil for three. But nothing had clicked: A’s leadoff hitters were batting just .175 through 46 games, the sixth-worst mark in MLB.
Cortes quickly changed that. Inserted into the leadoff position for the first time as the A’s opened a four-game series against the Angels in Anaheim, he drew a walk to start the contest. Cortes sat the next day and returned to the leadoff spot on May 20, striking out in his next two leadoff plate appearances before catching fire in San Diego.
He started the series on Friday by singling and scoring on Kurtz’s double, then singled again on Saturday -- a 101.7 mph scorcher to right field -- and moved to third on a Kurtz single. On Sunday, Cortes fell behind 0-2 against right-hander Michael King before crushing a changeup over the wall in right-center, a home run that provided an instant spark in a 5-2 A’s win.
“That was pretty cool,” Cortes admitted.
With hits to start all three games of the series at Petco Park (and reaching base again with a leadoff walk on Monday in West Sacramento), Cortes continued to earn the respect of his A’s teammates.
“Every single at-bat is competitive,” designated hitter Brent Rooker said. “Every single at-bat is professional. He gives himself a chance, he gives us a chance to have success. He’s done a tremendous job through the first two months this year taking advantage of opportunities and really leading our offense.”
Cortes considers it a privilege to bat in the leadoff spot for the A’s, something he did just three times during his 2025 debut campaign. He has already spent time at every spot in the lineup, starting in all but cleanup while in the Majors, but he knows batting leadoff offers a new challenge.
“It’s a good change of pace and trying to make it on base early, do damage early,” he said.
So far, Cortes has checked both boxes in his tryout as the A’s leadoff man, and the club has shown no indication of moving him out of the No. 1 spot.
If it does happen, though, there’s little reason to think Cortes won’t continue to produce at a high level.
“I feel like Carlos has been great for us all year,” Kurtz said. “Whichever role he's been given, he's had success in. He's been great for this ballclub.”