Yankees Dellin Betances: Can Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder?

Can Yankees set-up man Dellin Betances finally put the arbitration process and gloating by the front office over $3 million decision to bed? Time away from Tampa and tutoring from some of baseball’s best could be just what Betances and the Yankees need.

For most of the young Yankees in the organization it is imperative to be in spring training, but for one youthful Yankee, a break from camp is exactly what’s needed. It’s no secret there was a black cloud surrounding Dellin Betances so far to start the 2017 season for the Yankees.

In Betances’ defense, most of the negative energy was created by the statements of Yankee’s team president Randy Levine. Everyone know’s full well what Levine said, so no need to revisit it, but it has not gone unnoticed that Betances has not been the same since.

Nothing could be better for Betances than to show back up to George Steinbrenner Field with a World Baseball Classic Championship, newly acquired knowledge, and most importantly a different attitude toward the Yankees.

Seeing Dellin’s body language post-arbitration decision and the ensuing insulting press conference leave little doubt about how broken the relationship is. Let’s all hope his absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Betances a born and bred New Yorker for the first time in his life has had his attitude toward the Yankees soured. Pitching for the Dominican Republic in the 2017 World Baseball Classic may be just the recipe to calm him down and make baseball fun again.

A Different Type of Learning than Yankees Provide

Tom Verducci in an interview for MLB Network spoke with five different MLB All-Stars who expressed how excited players get to play with guys they usually play against. Francisco Lindor of Puerto Rico talked about how he could be a better player by learning from legendary guys he hasn’t gotten to work with before like Carlos Beltran and Yadi Molina.

Yankees should love the fact Dellin Betances will be spending the next few weeks with the likes of Bartolo Colon, Johnny Cueto, Edison Volquez, and Jeurys Familia. Players would pay top dollar to pick the brains of some of those guys and Betances will be right there in the clubhouse soaking it all up like a sponge.

Having access to the pitching minds of the above-mentioned players is great, but one person, in particular, could have a profound impact on Betances, Fernando Rodney. Of the many obvious reasons, the Yankees spent $86 million on Aroldis Chapman is the lack of proof Dellin can mentally handle the closer role. Rodney being one of the best closers of his era could guide Betances in his mentality and approach to closing games, something the Yankees would at least like the option to do.

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Although he won’t be the closer for the Dominican Republic either, Betances will be put in big situations throughout the tournament. The situations may involve putting his team into a World Baseball Classic semifinal or final, and those stressful situations are one’s he can draw upon should he find himself on the mound in October for the Yankees.

With all due respect to Larry Rothschild, players appreciate the words and advice of other players quicker than a coach they’ve most likely never seen pitch. Not only can Dellin Betances learn from some of the top arms in the world, but he can start to forget about the $2 million the team essentially stole from him and focus on pitching again.

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The best thing for both the Yankees and Betances is for him to spend the next couple weeks with Yankee coach Tony Pena and the Dominican Republic team in Miami, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Nothing could be better for Betances than to show back up to George Steinbrenner Field with a World Baseball Classic Championship, newly acquired knowledge, and most importantly a different attitude toward the Yankees.