BETANCES IS PROVING ME RIGHT

I'm not going to sugar coat this one. I told you so. Yes, you! The reader. The one that said I was crazy when I wrote about Dellin Betances in BETANCES: THE NEXT HOMETOWN HERO. Some of you told me that it was too early to call him talented, or to say that he would become a hometown hero. Well it's June, and I still feel the same way, and now some of you are jumping on the Betances wagon too.

Okay, granted, it probably is still too early to call it. He doesn't have a full season under his belt yet, so any praise he receives is really just speculation over how he will continue to perform. We can say he has been great so far, but that really doesn't mean much for the rest of the season. Still, there is definitely something to be said for the New York City boy.

In 31 games played, over 42 innings pitched, Betances has a 1.50 ERA, with 4 wins. He is lighting up the plate with his presence.  He's only allowed 19 hits, 7 runs, and 1 home run, with 70 strike outs. He has been incredible. For a lot of Yankees fans, Betances is bringing up memories of Mariano Rivera. Starting with the fact that both pitchers were starting pitchers who posted well over 5.00 ERA, and were eventually changed to relief pitching. For both, the change was what made their talent obvious.

Really, the similarities between the two are uncanny. Let's be clear though, I won't compare Betances to Rivera. It is both unfair to who Rivera was for this team, and who Betances may one day still become. Rivera is a legend to every Yankees fan that watched him play, and a hero among men to my own children. Betances has yet to carve out a legacy. But he is well on his way.

My position on Betances remains the same. He is an incredibly talented pitcher. Being from New York City? A serious bonus to my current hero worship! Betances has a long way to go, but if this season is any indicator of what we have to look forward to, I am certain the Hometown boy will undoubtedly have a wonderful career path ahead of him. And I look forward to rooting him on.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

 
 

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