Dellin Betances

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked New York Yankees #26 prospect in 2014
  Betances made six Triple-A starts to open 2013, posting a 6.00 ERA, before shifting to relief full-time. In 42 games out of the pen, he posted a 1.35 ERA and allowed just 33 hits in 60 innings to go with 83 strikeouts. His fastball touched 99 mph out of the pen, and he backed it up with a power curve and a changeup. Mechanical adjustments made with new pitching coordinator Gil Patterson helped him stay in his delivery longer, which in turn improved Betances' command. Being in the bullpen also helped him flush his bad outings more quickly. Control always will be an issue for Betances, who qualifies for a fourth minor league option in 2014, giving the Yankees another long look at his two-pitch mix.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #19 prospect in 2013
  Unless he figures out a new role, Betances' big league cameo at the end of the 2011 season will be the pinnacle of his career. Signed for $1 million, at the time a record for the eighth round, he always has been a behemoth whose frequent bouts of wildness have negated his premium stuff. Betances still throws two plus pitches at times, with a fastball that peaks at 97 mph to go with a power curveball in the low 80s. His changeup developed into an erratic pitch, average at times and playable when he threw strikes. Betances never has done so consistently, both prior to 2009 surgery to reinforce an elbow ligament and since then. Triple-A hitters wouldn't chase his pitches last year, and a demotion to Trenton didn't help. Betances lacks the athleticism to repeat the release point in his stiff delivery and doesn't have enough savvy to make adjustments. The Yankees hope his power repertoire and intimidating size can translate into success in shorter relief stints. He worked out of the bullpen in the Arizona Fall League but continued to get hit hard.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #3 prospect in 2012
  In late September, Betances became the 10th player from the Yankees' 2006 draft class to appear in the majors. A New York City product, he signed for $1 million, a record for the eighth round at the time. He has developed slowly and had surgery to reinforce an elbow ligament in 2009, but he has matured into a physical power pitcher with swing-and-miss stuff. Betances works at 91-95 mph with his fastball and can get it up to 97, delivering it on a steep downhill plane. At times he throws his four-seamer with natural cutting action. He throws a fair amount of strikes with his heater but has a harder time harnessing his power curveball, which sits in the low 80s. New York always has believed in Betances' changeup, a solid pitch that flashed above average less frequently in 2011 than it had in 2010. His stiff delivery and modest athleticism prevent him from repeating his delivery and throwing consistent quality strikes. Betances threw a career-best 136 innings in 2011, and his lack of command was exposed a bit at higher levels. His stuff is so good, he could still be effective merely with average control, much like A.J. Burnett. Betances will return to Triple-A to start 2012.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #3 prospect in 2011
  The Yankees signed Betances, a New Yorker, away from Vanderbilt for a $1 million bonus in 2006. He developed slower than hoped, then had surgery to reinforce an elbow ligament in 2009. He returned to the mound last June, throwing 96-97 in his first start and wrapping up the season in the Double-A Eastern League playoffs. Ther performance earned him a 40-man roster spot. Betances' fastball usually sits at 92-96, and he uses his size to throw it downhill. He throws strikes with his heater, but fastball command remains his biggest issue to work on. His curveball is a sharp, power downer that some scouts rate as a 70 on the 20-80 scale, giving him two plus-plus pitches. His changeup draws mixed reviews but is at least fringe average, and some club officials predict it will become a plus pitch. Betances' delivery tends to get out of line to the plate, wasting energy and costing him command, but his stuff is good enough that he can thrive with just solid control. He's not a great athlete and doesn't excel at fielding his position or holding runners. If Betances can build on the progress he made last season, he'll be a frontline starter for New York, possibly as soon as 2012. If he regresses a bit, he still could wind up in the mix to eventually replace Mariano Rivera as the Yankees' closer.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #28 prospect in 2010
  Betances was a high-risk, high-reward pick whose $1 million bonus in 2006 set a record for an eighth-round pick. He has progressed slowly, and after seeming to turn the corner in 2008, adversity struck him last year. He was having an inconsistent season when he had elbow pain in late May. He tried rest but got hit hard when he pitched again and went back on the disabled list. His injury eventually was diagnosed as a ligament tear that required Tommy John surgery in August. Even before he got hurt, Betances showed little sign of improving the balance in his delivery or loosening up what can be a stiff landing. His lack of athletic ability and size prompted some scouts to compare him to Daniel Cabrera, who always had plus stuff but never learned how to use it successfully. Betances has a fastball that sits at 93-94 mph and touches 97, and he backs it up with a plus curveball. His poor command last year could have stemmed from his elbow trouble, but throwing quality strikes never has been his strong suit. Following a lost year, he'll miss most of another and have to be protected on the 40-man roster or exposed to the Rule 5 draft after the season.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #5 prospect in 2009
  A $1 million bonus, a record for the eighth round, prompted Betances to spurn Vanderbilt and sign out of high school. He logged just 25 innings in 2007 because he was raw and came down with forearm tightness, but in 2008 he led South Atlantic League starters by averaging 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Betances has two plus pitches when he's at his best. His four-seam fastball sits at 94 mph and touches 97, and he uses his height to throw it on a steep downhill plane. His curveball can be a well-above-average hammer. He has improved markedly at quickening his feet, holding runners and fielding his position. Lacking Andrew Brackman's athleticism, Betances loses balance in his delivery and tends to fly open, costing him command and leaving him injury-prone. He missed much of June with a tired shoulder. The Yankees want to smooth out his mechanics before introducing a two-seam sinker to his repertoire, and his changeup remains in its nascent stages. He needs to keep improving his fielding and ability to hold runners. Though he has yet to prove he can stay healthy, Betances has front-of-the-rotation potential. New York would like him to reach 150-160 innings in high Class A in 2009, which would put him on course to pitch in his hometown at some point in 2011.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #13 prospect in 2008
  Some scouts and Yankees officials were so enamored with Betances after they signed him for $1 million in the summer of 2006, they talked about him as a future No. 1 starter. Optimism remains high regarding the New York prep product, but his prospect stock took a hit as he pitched just 25 innings at Staten Island before being shut down with forearm tightness--a telltale sign of impending elbow surgery. When asked if Betances would require Tommy John surgery, one club official merely replied, "We're confident in all our guys and in our doctors and in our rehab guys." Betances joined Melancon and 2006 second-round pick Zach McAllister at instructional league in the Dominican and hit some mid-90s with his fastball while flashing his plus curveball. Regardless of whether he'll need surgery, he must to continue to make his delivery more compact and repeatable, even though he lacks the athleticism of a similarly tall pitcher such as Andrew Brackman. Still growing into his body, Betances had little semblance of command or control last year. New York just hopes Betances is healthy enough so they can get a long look at him this season.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #4 prospect in 2007
  Betances was considered a probable first-round pick early in the 2006 draft cycle, but his slow start in the spring, high price tag and commitment to Vanderbilt scared off many clubs. The Yankees popped him in the eighth round and met his $1 million asking price, erasing the bonus record for that round--which they set a year earlier when they gave Austin Jackson $800,000. Betances' stuff is as good as anyone's in the system. His fastball sits at 93-94 mph and touched 98 in the club's fall mini-camp. He uses a low-80s power curveball as an out pitch. His changeup has made significant strides in his short pro career and grades as a future plus pitch with sinking, diving action. He's athletic and intelligent, and adapted quickly to the mechanical adjustments New York asked him to make. While he's shown some feel for his changeup, Betances needs to throw it more to master it. At his size, he'll have to work to keep his mechanics in sync and maintain balance over the rubber. At times, he rushes his delivery, making it hard for his arm to keep up with his body and costing him command. The Yankees already consider Betances ahead of schedule. He should make his full-season debut in low Class A in 2007. A potential No. 1 starter, he could become a local product who stars for the Yankees.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Eastern League #9 prospect in 2011
  While most EL observers considered Banuelos the better prospect, Betances had his supporters because he's considerably bigger and has better pure stuff. He's a physical beast who uses his size to sit at 91-95 mph and reach 97 with his fastball. Betances' plus curveball sits in the low 80s but is primarily a chase pitch. He has added a high-80s cutter/slider through the years to give him a breaking ball he can throw consistenly for strikes. His changeup has improved and is an above-average pitch at times. Command of his fastball and curve will determine if he reaches his considerable ceiling. "When he threw harder he could be erratic," Harrisburg manager Tony Beasley said, "but he when he threw more strikes, he still had plenty of velocity to go with that curveball. I think it's fair to say when we saw him later in the year, he was a strike-thrower with real good stuff."
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  Ranked Florida State League #4 prospect in 2010
  Betances has been one of the more promising pitchers in the Yankees system since signing for $1 million in 2006, but he never had consistent success because of mechanical issues and elbow surgery that prematurely ended his first FSL stint in 2009. He returned to Tampa this year with a better, more balanced delivery and the results were spectacular. Betances quickly earned a promotion to Double-A by using his 93-95 mph fastball and a power curveball to stifle hitters. While his command isn't big league-ready, he did a much better job of of throwing his fastball and curve for strikes. His changeup is still a work in progress. While Betances' delivery is improved, it still gives scouts concerns. He's not very fluid, he sometimes has a head jerk and his landing is rather stiff and jarring. His mechanics and injury history leave some to wonder if he'll end up in the bullpen in the long term.
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  Ranked New York-Penn League #10 prospect in 2007
  The Yankees gave Betances a $1 million bonus as an eighth-round pick last year to lure him away from a Vanderbilt scholarship. While he's still a work in progress and was shut down this summer with elbow tendinitis, his upside is as huge as his 6-foot-7 frame. Lanky and ultraprojectable, Betances already flashes a mid-90s fastball and occasionally snaps off a hard, biting, downer curveball. He's a little erratic around the strike zone but he also has shown the ability to bail himself out of tight spots by getting big strikeouts. He also throws a changeup that lags far behind his other two offerings. Though his delivery has some moving parts, Betances is athletic and has a smooth arm action. He's still figuring out his control and command.
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  Ranked Florida Complex League #6 prospect in 2006
  Betances was a tall, skinny sophomore in high school when scouts began to notice him. His fastball has been clocked at 97 mph, and at 6-foot-7 he offers an imposing presence on the mound. An inconsistent senior season dropped him to eighth round of the 2006 draft, where the Yankees gave him a $1 million bonus--unprecedented for that round. Betances still is quite raw and struggles to repeat his delivery, resulting in below-average command. His athleticism and arm strength should allow him to improve, however, and his upside is considerable. He made strides during the summer in improving his direction to the plate, which made his breaking ball more consistent. It's a hard downer curveball, with late break and could become a legitimate put-away pitch. He also throws a changeup for which he lacks feel.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #63 prospect in 2012
• Ranked Baseball America's #43 prospect in 2011
• Ranked Baseball America's #100 prospect in 2007

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  In late September, Betances became the 10th player from the Yankees' 2006 draft class to appear in the majors. A New York City product, he signed for $1 million, a record for the eighth round at the time. He has developed slowly and had surgery to reinforce an elbow ligament in 2009, but he has matured into a physical power pitcher with swing-and-miss stuff. Betances works at 91-95 mph with his fastball and can get it up to 97, delivering it on a steep downhill plane. At times he throws his four-seamer with natural cutting action. He throws a fair amount of strikes with his heater but has a harder time harnessing his power curveball, which sits in the low 80s. New York always has believed in Betances' changeup, a solid pitch that flashed above average less frequently in 2011 than it had in 2010. His stiff delivery and modest athleticism prevent him from repeating his delivery and throwing consistent quality strikes. Betances threw a career-best 136 innings in 2011, and his lack of command was exposed a bit at higher levels. His stuff is so good, he could still be effective merely with average control, much like A.J. Burnett. Betances will return to Triple-A to start 2012.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: In late September, Betances became the 10th player from the Yankees' 2006 draft class to appear in the majors. He signed for $1 million, a record for the eighth round at the time. He has developed slowly and had surgery to reinforce an elbow ligament in 2009, but he has matured into a physical power pitcher with swing-and-miss stuff. Scouting Report: Betances works at 91-95 mph with his fastball and can get it up to 97, delivering it on a steep downhill plane. At times he throws his four-seamer with natural cutting action. He throws a fair amount of strikes with his heater but has a harder time harnessing his power curveball, which sits in the low 80s. New York always has believed in Betances' changeup, a solid pitch that flashed above average less frequently in 2011 than it had in 2010. His stiff delivery and modest athleticism prevent him from repeating his delivery and throwing consistent quality strikes. The Future: Betances threw a career-best 136 innings in 2011, and his lack of command was exposed a bit at higher levels. His stuff is so good, he could still be effective merely with average control, much like A.J. Burnett. Betances will return to Triple-A to start 2012.