WHY IT'S DELLIN BETANCES TIME

Hey look, I admit it... I was expecting the Yankees to unload Dellin Betances this winter, and hey, they still may, but at this point, I kind of doubt it. In fact, with all this stuff about the Yankees having 7 pitchers competing for 5 spots, why not just throw Betances into the mix and make it 8. Betances is just as qualified to show Yankee brass what he has. No doubt he wants to prove he can compete and stay in the Bigs after being called up last year, right? Let's be honest, while his big league September wasn’t pretty (2 G / 6.75 ERA / 2.2 IP ), he got a crash course of what the Bigs are like. I do not expect Betances to be like this if he comes up to the Big Show the next time, in fact, expect an improvement.

Betances may not be one of my favorite minor league guys, but he’s talented and in the past we have written extensively about him. Read WHY DELLIN BETANCES IS A YANKEE BRIGHT SPOT, for instance. We know Betances has potential and the Yankees must too because they've hung onto him. They could have easily traded him to a team for a Designated Hitter, but they didn’t. That must mean something, right?

Between he and Manny Banuelos, I believe there will be a lot to look forward to over the next 3 years, and hopefully more. Plus, all eyes will be on young Michael Pineda as well. Speaking of Pineda... man... 1 week later, many still can't believe Jesus Montero is gone. Some are still not sold on Pineda. Sure, it’s a tough call, but the Yankees needed pitching. Pitching wins ballgames. Pineda will hold it down, and sure, it will take time to get him the way we want him, he’s 22, but it can be done. I know, the first implosion from Pineda and the Yankeeland will scream that unloading Montero was the biggest, worst mistake the Yankees made since Jay Buhner.

(In Photo: Jay Buhner)

I get the frustration, but all I saw and heard from Yankee fans was we needed pitching. We got Pineda and Jose Campos and unfortunately, Jesus Montero had the shortest straw. That’s baseball, you take chances based on the info you have on each guy. Maybe Cash is right and maybe he’s wrong, we’ll have to wait and see, but you need to take that chance. Now we have 3 young pitchers with potential, 4 if you count Campos and 5 if you count Ivan Nova. It's actually a genius move by Cash, because in 3 years we'll have CC still holding down the fort and these new guys will have a few more years of experience on their resume. Not too shabby.

But let's concentrate on 2012; pitching will improve for Michael Pineda, maybe AJ Burnett and guys like Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos and there is no doubt that Betances will be chomping at the bit to prove to Yankeeland he is here to stay. If the Yankees give him a fair shot, I hope he shines, that my friends will be the story of 2012 for us no doubt.

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