IS BETANCES PITCHING FOR NOW OR THE FUTURE?

Think back to Spring 2011, players were battling for a lineup spot and the starting rotation was the center of attention. Now, fast forward to 2012 and it's been relatively quiet, except when Yankeeland applauded the re-signing of Andy Pettitte...but the twenty-five man roster is pretty much set. I do wonder though, even though we have a surplus of pitching, shouldn’t a guy like Dellin Betances get a shot at a rotation spot? I mean, why not? I would love to see what he can do.

I could argue that Betances is about to turn 24, and it’s time for him to get his chance and show the Yankees he’s the guy….maybe he could steal that spot away from guys like Freddy Garcia or Phil Hughes. Well, it’s not likely, unless something catastrophic happens to the roster….and of course no one wants to see that happen. Maybe Betances could be a reliever? Betances pitched two strong innings in relief of Hiroki Kuroda the a few games ago giving up only one hit and striking out two batters. Even the man of few words himself, Joe Girardi, praised Betances giving him credit for the improvement he saw. If Betances can be successful in a relief role this early in Spring, is this a sign of what he can do with more practice in this role later? Possibly, but we may not get to see it happen anytime soon.

The more popular idea is that Betances should continue his development down in AAA, which seems to be more likely. With a strong rotation already in place there is no need to rush Betances into a relief role and turn him into the next Hector Noesi when he is used to competing as a starting pitcher. As Hughes and Freddy continue to fight over the last spot, and Andy Pettitte inserting himself into an already full rotation, the odd man out in Betances is ready to take on a relief role. Unlike last year, the Yankees are in no hurry to add more arms to the rotation so leaving Betances down in AAA to develop more makes sense. Even if Betances stays down in the minors that does not rule out the possibility of a late season call up when the rosters expand to help out the team.

The Yankees have more than enough arms that they could plug into an additional pitching spot, and if this is the plan they choose, then using Betances as a fill-in spot is not in his best interest at this time. So what is Betances competing for? Betances is pitching to impress the Yankees for the future; he has been on the minds of fans for a long time now, but it is not his time…..yet. He will get his shot, but for now it is probably better that he goes back down to AAA and takes the ball every five days. Joe said his mechanics looked better, and practice does make perfect so the Yankees don’t want to take that opportunity away from him. Developing a routine now will benefit him later when the Yankees do call on him. The future looks bright, which is why dilemmas like this make Spring training so exciting, and the anticipation for the regular season so intense. Betances will get his opportunity, and when that time comes Betances will be ready and the fans will be ready for him.

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor

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