Dellin Betances, New York Yankees
Dellin Betances was simply amazing in 2014, and his 1.40 ERA in 90 innings doesn’t even tell you why, really. Betances brings gas, and strikes out guys like he gets a million-dollar bonus for every K. Seriously, he had 135 strikeouts in 90 innings. Simply absurd, so naturally he’s got a red flag in my book.
It’s not really all hate, either; Betances sort of came out of nowhere; 2014 was still his rookie season, although he did make appearances in 2013 and a start in 2011. He was a starting pitcher until recently, and it really seems like Betances has the chance to be a new type of relief ace, as he’s still young, and will play all of 2015 at age 27.
But the high inning totals, and high strikeout totals are concerning in Betances’s case, as is the fact that his manager is Joe Girardi, who follows his predecessor, Joe Torre, in the overusing certain bullpen arms most wanted list. Betances would have red flags even if there weren’t an increase in Tommy John surgeries in MLB; he’s a young pitcher throwing more high-stress innings than he ever has in his life, and especially when your rookie season is historically good, there’s little room to go but down.