Cornejo was born in Wellington, Kansas. His father, Mardie Cornejo, appeared in 25 games in 1978 as a reliever for the New York Mets. The younger Cornejo attended Wellington High School.\n', '

Nate Cornejo was drafted in the first round of the 1998 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers. He was the 34th player selected in the draft. Following the draft, he made his professional debut as a member of the Gulf Coast League Tigers. Cornejo recorded a 1–0 record in 5 appearances, posting a 1.26 earned run average over 14.1 innings.\n', '

For the 1999 season, Cornejo was promoted to the Single–A West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League. He made 28 starts, posting a 9–11 record and a 3.71 ERA. In 174.2 innings, Cornejo struck out 125 batters and walked 67.\n', '

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