New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has said rookie reliever Dellin Betances won’t pitch again in 2014:
Betances done for season. Girardi said he's pitched enough innings for this year. #yankees
— David Lennon (@DPLennon) September 27, 2014
Betances had an outstanding season in the Yankees bullpen, posting a 1.40 ERA, a 1.64 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), and a whopping 135 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched across 70 appearances. Betances has been worth 3.2 fWAR, which is immensely valuable for a reliever, and he boasts an absurdly-good 13.50 K/9 rate this year, his first full season in the Majors.
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If the Yankees were still in contention for the playoffs, it’s possible Girardi might have kept using Betances as needed.
But with the Yankees long eliminated, and uncertainty surrounding New York’s incumbent closer, David Robertson, it’s likely wise of the Yankees to shut Bentaces down while he’s healthy because he could be relied upon even more if New York decides not to retain Robertson.
The Yankees drafted Betances in the eighth round of the MLB Draft back in 2006, but he was originally a starting pitcher. He converted to reliever in 2012, and has since shot up the Yankees minor-league system to become a key cog in Girardi’s bullpen.
Outside of Masahiro Tanaka’s first half and Brandon McCarthy’s second half, the Yankees struggled to get good outings from their starting pitchers, which required Girardi to lean heavily on his bullpen.
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