Phillies prospect Richie Cortese has turned his dreams into a reality

In the MLB Draft just a few months ago, the Philadelphia Phillies made Richie Cortese a part of history when they selected him in the 17th round. The talented righty became the 13th player in Lander baseball history to be drafted. It was not a possibility he had envisioned a year ago, but his hard work paid off.

“ To be honest, I really didn’t think at the beginning of the year that the draft was a possibility,” Cortese said. “ It’s always something you chase, but I had a tough start to the year with command and being able to get guys out. At the beginning of the year, my advisor reached out and said I was a guy he thought who could get an undrafted deal. Then I started throwing well and finished the year strong. In the summer, I just started going to all these draft tryouts and performed well. It was a wild summer, and I’m grateful for how things worked.” 

While his performance at draft workouts helped, Cortese had a solid 2025 campaign. In 14 appearances, he posted a 4.86 ERA and struck out 30 batters. He also showed better control, not allowing a home run and holding opponents to a .200 batting average after they hit .333 against him the year before. 

For Cortese, his success on the mound has not been an easy path. He began his college career as a two-way player at Dickinson State. When he transferred to Lander prior to the 2024 campaign, his focus shifted solely to pitching. 

“ It definitely gave me the best shot, giving up hitting to be at this level,” Cortese said. “ I knew that I would be able to get drafted for my pitching rather than my hitting. I was a good hitter, but not at the level it takes to be a professional.”

As the Laurel, Montana, native begins the next chapter of his baseball career, he will get to play alongside one of his teammates. Tyler Bowen was selected by the Phillies just a few hours before in the 13th round. That is one aspect that should help make the transition to the professional level easier. 

“ After I heard my name get called, that was the second thought in my head,” Corteste said. “ It’s crazy that it ended up that way with both of us being at a smaller Division II school. It’s definitely made the process easier and allowed me to step out of my comfort zone a little.” 

So far, Cortese has had nothing but good things to say about the Phillies. That has only fueled his desire to reward their faith in him and stay true to his work ethic that has gotten him to this point. 

“ I would say the Phillies are getting someone who has never had it easy, someone who has had to force his way into the picture through hard work,” Cortese said. “ I wasn’t a highly recruited guy out of high school, but I had to work really hard and force myself into the spot. It wasn’t always easy, and it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point. I’m always going to try to find the solutions to get better every day.”