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Yankees’ News: Don’t Worry ‘Bout Betances!

By Wayne Cavadi

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When David Robertson left the Bronx for the South side, last year’s rookie sensational Dellin Betances was hoping the closer job was his to lose. This spring he hasn’t looked the part for the New York Yankees.

Betances has made seven appearances this spring, and over 6.1 innings he has been hit hard for 5 runs and an ERA of 7.11. His velocity is down and after striking out a batter and a half per inning last year, he isn’t even striking out one per appearance this spring.

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Obviously, in this era of baseball where seemingly all the cool kids are having Tommy John surgery, there was immediate concern that something was wrong with Betances. The hard thrower saw the speed on his fastball decline and his control become erratic, two early signs that the the elbow may be going. Betances, however, seems to feel differently.

“I’ve been opening up a little too much with my front shoulder,’’ Betances told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. “I got games this weekend and the more I pitch, the better I will be out there.’’

Betances reassured fans yesterday that his elbow and arm are pain free and that the youngster is suffering from mechanical issues. He simply did what every seasoned veteran does when they hit a slump or suffer from the yips. Betances sat down and watched video of himself from last season, when he was seemingly untouchable going 5-0 with a 1.40 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP and a record 135 strikeouts from a set-up man.

“The key is repetition, and right now I am not repeating my delivery,’’ Betances told The New York Post.

Betances pitched yesterday against the Baltimore Orioles and once again let up a run. While he is working the kinks out, he reiterated that he isn’t concerned about the velocity or injury, because there is nothing to worry about on that front.

"“I am not worried about the velocity being down because it was the same thing last spring training over the first five innings,’’ Betances said. “That’s how my arm functions. As long that I feel healthy, I know that it will come.“In spring training I never throw what I throw during the season. I’m not worried about it. The results haven’t been where I wanted it to be, but that is because the command of my pitches is not where I want it to be.’’"

There is no denying that this clouds Yankees’ skipper Joe Girardi’s decision on what to do about the closer role heading into Opening Day. Should Betances need more time to sort out the mechanical issues, the Yanks could use a closer by committee approach with Andrew Miller and Betances to start the season.

Either way, Yankees’ fans shouldn’t worry just yet. The reason they went out and got Miller was not just to set-up Betances, but as insurance should they need a second option at closer when D-Rob walked away. Besides, if you can’t trust Betances, who can you trust when he said:

“I know I’ll be good.’’

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