ARLINGTON, Texas \u2013 Miami drafted Nick Fortes in the fourth round of the 2018 draft after three solid seasons at Ole Miss, and Fortes, now 29, debuted with the Marlins in September 2021 and experienced playoff baseball for the first time with them in 2023.<\/p>\n
However, in July 2025, the Marlins sent the catcher across the Sunshine State to Tampa Bay, a move which has proved beneficial for the ex-Rebel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been good. I\u2019ve really enjoyed it,\u201d said Fortes, who is hitting .265 with four homers and 31 RBIs in 96 games this season with the Rays. \u201cLast year was a whirlwind having to change teams in the middle of the year, but this year getting a full spring and now a full season with these guys, it\u2019s been fun. We\u2019ve been winning and have got a good group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coming to the Rays meant joining an organization with a well-deserved reputation for consistently developing pitchers by employing methods considered outside-the-box by other organizations, a Modus Operandi which Fortes has found refreshing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been fun because I\u2019ve been able to watch them and compete against them from the other side for a while. Even coming up in minor leagues and playing against their affiliates, they\u2019ve always had good arms,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve always been intrigued to see what their process is and how they develop pitchers so well. It\u2019s been cool to be a part of it now and with us doing so well this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another change is now playing for Kevin Cash, a former big league catcher who has managed the Rays since 2015, making him currently the longest-tenured skipper with his current club. Thus far, Cash has led the Rays to five playoff appearances, including a trip to the 2020 World Series.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great. He has a great reputation. You\u2019ve never heard a bad thing about him from the outside looking in, and now being a part of the organization and playing for him, it\u2019s been a pleasure,\u201d Fortes said. \u201cHe\u2019s a fun guy who keeps it loose in the clubhouse when he needs to but also can light a fire in you when he needs to. It\u2019s a good balance, and you can see why he\u2019s had so much success for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Cash is happy to have the ex-Marlin helping his pitchers maximize their potential and the Rays win plenty of games.<\/p>\n
\u201cForty has done a good job working with the staff all season long. Every pitcher appreciates his efforts, how mindful he is behind the plate, doing everything he can to navigate them through their innings or starts,\u201d Cash said. \u201cOffensively, he\u2019s gotten a bunch of big hits. He\u2019s done a nice job on both sides of the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fortes also enjoys seeing fellow Ole Miss products like Tim Elko, who debuted with and played 23 games for the White Sox last season, also reach the show since Fortes himself debuted nearly five seasons ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fun to see. I got to play with Tim for a year in college, and it\u2019s cool because I always keep tabs on the baseball team,\u201d he said. \u201cTo watch them grow from college players to minor league players and then make it to the big leagues same way I did has been cool to see. I\u2019m always rooting for those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
New technology<\/p>\n
Several changes which Fortes and big league catchers and pitchers have adjusted to was the 2022 introduction of the PitchCom device, which allows catchers to call the game without using signs by pushing buttons on a small computer, which then relays the pitch to a receiver the pitcher and an infielder wear in their cap. PitchCom was introduced to sign stealing and to speed up play and has worked on both counts.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really (a big adjustment). It made things a lot easier. It makes the game a little bit quicker, too, not having to cycle through a bunch of signs,\u201d Fortes said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot less cross-ups because there\u2019s not a ton of room for error or miscommunication.\u201d<\/p>\n
This season marks the first for MLB using the Automatic Balls and Strikes (ABS) challenge system in the big leagues, where catchers, hitters and pitchers can challenge a pitch call several times a game. Unlike PitchCom, ABS has required some adjustment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first month of the season (ABS) was tough to get used to. But after that first month, I\u2019ve settled in and everybody has settled in,\u201d Fortes said. \u201cNow, it\u2019s just a part of the game, so it\u2019s second nature. You don\u2019t think about it too much anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
With 19 games remaining in the regular season, the Rays are 85-58 and as of Sept. 7 lead the American League East by four games over the second-place Yankees, which means Tampa\u2019s first playoff appearance since 2023 is a strong possibility.<\/p>\n
Fortes\u2019 playoff r\u00e9sum\u00e9 consists of one game and two-at bats as the Marlins were swept in two games in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a brief series in Philadelphia in the wild card round in \u201923. It was a lot of fun. That\u2019s why you play 162 games,\u201d Fortes said. \u201cYou go through the grind to get to that point of postseason baseball because there\u2019s nothing like it. The crowd is so into it. It\u2019s so much fun and every pitch matters so much. Excited to hopefully have that opportunity again this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.<\/p>\n
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