The New York Yankees pitching corps seems to dwindle with every passing day. Injuries have become such a major aspect of baseball, specifically with the Bronx Bombers, that free agency is often littered with new signings.
This past off-season, the Yankees let one of their better relief arms go. Dellin Betances signed with a New York Mets and a one-year, $10.5 million. While he does have a player option for the 2021 season, the Mets aren’t exactly a winning organization.
Betances has pitched nine innings this year and 11 appearances. He currently has a 6.00 ERA, allowing six earned runs and seven strikeouts. He’s coming off a significant injury that limited Dellin to just 0.2 innings in 2019.
Back in 2017, Betances was an All-Star with the Yankees, earning a 2.87 ERA over 59.2 innings. He went on an impressive streak with over 100 strikeouts for five consecutive seasons between 2014-18.
Ultimately, the bullpen for the Yankees is extremely thin. Betances knows the ropes in pinstripes and has experienced plenty of success.
However, Empire Sports Media’s Andreas Chavez notes that Betances has a velocity problem. Having missed about a season and a half of baseball, returning to form has been difficult.
“Obviously, I’m not there yet,â€Â Betances said to MLB.com. “But I’m continuing to work, and as the season progresses, I hope to be there.â€
“I feel like the more repetitions I get, the better I’ll be able to get,†Betances said. “I’m still not there right now, but I feel like right now, I’ve just got to attack the strike zone and change speeds with what I have, and make the batters a little uncomfortable, and I feel like I can have a little success that way. But if I put guys on and fall behind, it’s not ideal for any pitcher.â€
Utilizing the 2020 season as a comeback year is exactly what the Yankees are hoping for Dellin if they have any interest in bringing him back next season.