N.Y. Mets: Grapefruit League Offers Dellin Betances No Quarter

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

SPRING TRAINING

2021

Dellin Betances' Grapefruit Struggles Continue Tuesday Against Houston Astros

Spring Training means different things to different players.  Some merely work on timing or building arm strength; some are trying to impress and win jobs, while others are just biding time until Opening Day, whatever their respective case may be.  

However, there's one player whose Grapefruit League performance is likely being fueled by desperation, a veteran pitcher who turns 33-years old later this week and is suddenly being forced to relearn his craft in the face of losing upwards of four mph on his fastball.  

It's not a stretch at this point to say the future career of reliever Dellin Betances potentially lies in the balance.  

There no denying for five seasons as a member of the New York Yankees, he was among the American League's dominant relievers.  From 2014 through 2018, Betances averaged a 2.31 ERA in 74.2 innings pitched, highlighted by an efficient 5.2 H/9 and potent 14.7 K/9 averages.

All that came to a grinding halt when in 2019, he developed a right shoulder impingement.  But that was only the beginning of an injury-riddled season futher beset by a strained lat muscle and a torn Achilles tendon.

Just over two months after pitching his last game as a Bronx Bomber on Sept. 15, 2019, (then) Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen signed free agent Dellin Betances to a two-year pact with a third-year player option.

After missing all but one game the previous season, Dellin returned in 2020 to make 15 appearances in which he yielded ten runs on twelve hits and twelve walks with eleven strikeouts through 11.2 innings pitched.  All of which translated into a 7.71 ERA, a 2.057 WHiP, and a career-low 18.6% strikeout rate against batters faced.

With just 16 regular-season appearances over the last two years, the beleaguered reliever entered Tuesday's action, having previously faced 15 batters and yielding five runs, four earned, on three hits (including a home run), and three walks with a strikeout over three innings pitched.  Pitching Tuesday afternoon against the Astros, Betances faced six more batters, allowing two earned runs on two hits with a strikeout.  All told, he's faced 21 batters to date, surrendered six earned runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts over four innings pitched.  

Needless to say, efforts being made towards readapting his repertoire are not going well.  At this point, we fans are left hoping for any measure of effectiveness, further adjustments, positive trending, and/or ultimately, a turnaround of fortunes.  But the pragmatist in me says normalizing a 13.50 ERA and a bloated WHiP over two with just 15 days left till Opening Day is just not practical.

Spring Training is as Spring Training does; the exhibition season continues.