The New York Mets received some good news out of camp in the last few hours. Dellin Betances, their star signing to provide more firepower to the bullpen corps, is now ready to take the hill in an official game and will do so on Saturday against the Washington Nationals.
It will be the Grapefruit League debut for the tall right-hander, who came from the New York Yankees on a one-year deal with an option for 2021.
The New York Mets were taking it slow with their prized reliever. Last season, he missed most of the action with shoulder issues, and then when he came back in mid-September, he tore his Achilles tendon while hopping off the mound.
However, the tear on his left Achilles tendon was partial, not a full one. That helped him recover quicker than expected, and while some people thought he would miss months of the 2020 regular season, it now looks like he will be available from day one.
“It feels like I’m graduating,” he told the New York Post on Thursday. He is right, though: he had gone through a lot in the offseason, from rehabbing to strengthening the area and then getting to a point in which he could throw without issues.
Betances had been throwing bullpens and simulated games up to this week, but now, he will get to test his surgically repaired Achilles in game action, starting from tomorrow against the World Champs.
A powerful bullpen weapon for the Mets
According to scouts that saw his bullpens, Betances is more around the low-90s as opposed to the near-100 mph heat we are used to seeing from him. However, he is unconcerned about fastball velocity at this point, and says he knows his body and he will eventually regain his best heater.
If he plays up to his potential, Betances will give the Mets a powerful weapon to pair with late-inning relievers Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson, Robert Gsellman, Brad Brach and company.
From 2014 to 2018, a span of five seasons, Betances ranked third in K/9, eight in ERA, second in WAR, first in strikeours and eight in lowest contact percentage among relievers. He is elite among the elite.