Josh Donaldson compares Nestor Cortes Jr. to Mark Buehrle

Nestor Cortes Jr. doesn’t throw with high velocity, and isn’t a physically-imposing presence on the mound. Yet he’s still effective by messing with hitters’ timing and throwing with a variety of different arm angles.

In an era where craftiness and location is at more of a premium, it’s hard to find many players pitching like Cortes does. That may be why one of Cortes’ teammates had to look back into the past to find a suitable comparison.

Speaking to reporters following Sunday’s 5-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson compared Cortes’ game to that of a former teammate when asked about what it was like playing defense behind Cortes during the game.

“I feel like I could barely even get from the dugout to the field in time, he’s ready to go,” Donaldson said. “It almost reminded me of a former teammate of mine, Mark Buehrle.

“Just getting it going, changing speeds, getting ground balls, action early. [Cortes] forced [the White Sox] to start swinging the bat.”