Yankees Midseason Report Card: Bullpen

Dellin Betances

Despite being the low-man on the late inning totem pole, a strong case can be made that Dellin Betances has been not only the Yankees best reliever this season, but the best reliever in the major leagues. He just edges out Miller for the league lead with an amazing 16.24 strikeouts per nine innings and has been the most valuable reliever in baseball by fWAR with 2.1 wins above replacement.

Betances’s sparkling 1.17 FIP also leads MLB relievers, demonstrating that his success is no fluke. At 28, he somehow keeps getting better. He is no pampered, rarely used closer either. He has appeared in more than half of his team’s games in the first half (41 appearances in their first 81 games).

While manager Joe Girardi does not use Betances for multi-inning stints as often as he has in the past, there is no doubt that the 6’8 265 lb tank of a man is capable of it in crucial situations. The presence of Miller and Chapman has just made that less of a frequent necessity.

Things could be very different for Betances in the second half if one or both of his No-Runs-DMC crew is dealt at the deadline. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him take over the closer role by August. The question would then become who the Yankees have to get the ball to him in the late innings.

Midseason Grade: A+

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