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Yankees Editorial: Dellin Betances Should Close In 2015 And Beyond

By Caleb Gebrewold

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For the first time in a long time, the New York Yankees enter the 2015 season with a team full of question marks.  Although the team just completed two mediocre seasons, they were expected to compete in both 2013 and 2014, but injuries and players underperforming prevented that.  This is also the Yankees’ first season since the strike-shortened 1994 season where they have missed the previous two postseasons.  Lastly, this is the first year in a very long time where there is no clear-cut choice for closer, and a Spring Training battle is expected. 

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The only problem is, there is a clear-cut choice to close this season.  With the bullpen expected to be possibly the strongest piece of the current Yankees roster, there still should be no battle at closer.  Lifelong Yankees fan Dellin Betances should be declared the closer as soon as pitchers and catchers report, so there is no confusion.  While the Yankees have spent the off-season restocking and retooling their bullpen, Betances still represents the best option at closer, both for now and the future.

After letting David Robertson walk after only one year as the closer, the Yankees roster lacks closing experience.  The next best option would seemingly be Andrew Miller, who the Yankees recently gave $36 million.  While the left-handed Miller does represent a nice alternative to Betances, and is only three years older, he has five more years of service time under his belt, and last season was the first in which he posted dominating numbers.

Some people believe that the more experienced, higher paid player, is better suited for the role of closer, but when it comes to closing, both Betances and Miller have one career save to their names.  In fact, Betances’ one big league season topped any season that Miller has had so far, and fans are quick to compare Betances’ 2014 season to Mariano Rivera‘s 1996 season with hopes that the next Rivera is in the organization.  While talks comparing the young Betances to the greatest closer baseball has seen may be a little premature, the resemblance is apparent.

Both Betances and Rivera came up as starters with high expectations, only to struggle and end up in the bullpen.  In their rookie seasons at the age of 26, both put up dominating numbers in set-up, and witnessed the team allow the closer they set-up to walk in free agency, freeing the position.  While Betances arguably had the better rookie season, Rivera’s sustained excellence from the closer position is unmatched.  Betances has what it takes to become a very successful closer, and the Yankees need to give him that chance.  His potential outweighs that of Miller, or any other reliever on this staff, and even potentially throughout baseball.  With his 3.2 WAR, Betances outperformed every reliever in baseball.  He pitched more innings than any reliever, besides Carlos Torres, who had a negative WAR.  He also finished 4th amongst relievers in ERA, pitching at least 18 innings more than anyone above him.  He had 26 more K’s than any reliever in baseball also.  In his 90 IP, Betances only allowed 14 ER, and 4 HR, even while pitching in a hitter’s park like Yankees Stadium.

While his name has been mentioned, mostly by fans, as a necessary piece to acquire top-tier starting pitching like Cole Hamels, Stephen Strasburg, or Jordan Zimmermann, the Yankees absolutely should not give up Betances in any trade.  As we have seen in recent years, a dominant bullpen has become a necessity in October baseball, and Betances is exactly what the Yankees need.  Miller could be a solid closer, but Betances can be a great closer, and with Robertson now gone, I believe he has earned the opportunity in the same way that Rivera did after his 1996 breakout season.

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