David Cárdenas Cortés (born October 15, 1973) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Atlanta Braves (), Cleveland Indians (), and Colorado Rockies (–). Cortés was a member of the Mexicali, Mexico, team who were the runners-up of the 1985 Little League World Series. As a teenager, he left his family to attend high school and play baseball in El Centro, California. He was undrafted out of high school and next played college baseball at Imperial Valley College where he did not attract any attention from scouts. His grades were too poor for a four-year school and, after finishing junior college at 19, took a job at a department store for $4.75 per hour () while pitching for an amateur team in Tijuana. Three years later, in 1996, with a three-month-old daughter at home, he was convinced to attend a Cincinnati Reds tryout in San Diego. The Reds did not sign Cortés on the grounds that he was too short at but he was referred to an amateur team in San Diego, which he could afford to join only after being given $20 in gas money. Playing in San Diego, he impressed a Braves scout who was monitoring Marcus Giles; he received a signing bonus of $2,500 from the Braves. On December 8, 2006, Cortés signed with the San Francisco Giants, but before pitching for the Giants, he was loaned to the Triple-A Mexican League where in he made the midseason All-Star team. Cortés signed with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization in August and served as their closer until the end of the season. References External links David Cortés at Baseball Almanac 1973 births 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players Living people Major League Baseball players from Mexico Mexican expatriate baseball players in South Korea Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Atlanta Braves players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Major League Baseball pitchers Sportspeople from Mexicali Lotte Giants players Eugene Emeralds players Macon Braves players Durham Bulls players Greenville Braves players Richmond Braves players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Tucson Sidewinders players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Toledo Mud Hens players Baseball players from Baja California Junior college baseball players in the United States