New York Yankees relief pitcher Dellin Betances is having an incredible season, and the timing couldn't be better for the 26-year-old. With David Robertson in the final year of his contract, could Betances become the closer in New York next year?
Robertson blew his sixth save of the year last night in a game the Yankees desperately needed the win to stay alive in the AL wild card race. They are now five games behind the Kansas City Royals for the final spot, but with only 14 games remaining it will be hard to regain that ground. Robertson has pitched exceptionally well (2.93 ERA with 36 saves in 57 games), but Betances is under contract until 2020 and the Yankees might not think it's worth to spend more money to keep Robertson.
And on top of that, Betances is having an unprecedented first full year in the major leagues after posting a 1.35 ERA and 0.75 WHIP with 130 strikeouts in 86 2/3 innings. In fact, he's one strikeout away from breaking Mariano Rivera's franchise record for most in a season by a reliever. The MLB leader in saves set the record back in 1996, coincidentally when he was also 26 years old. Rivera accomplished the feat in 107 2/3 innings and Betances is likely to break it before he reaches 88 innings. Betances also has a shot at finishing the year with the lowest ERA among relievers who have thrown at least 75 innings since 2005 (Rivera had a 1.38 ERA that year and it has remained the lowest).
The young right-hander has shown his effectiveness in relief as the setup man with his 20 holds on the season. He's widely been compared to Rivera and he might get his chance next year to attempt to fill his shoes if the Yankees let Robertson walk. But he doesn't seem too concerned because he's focused on getting the job done in the final 14 games.
"I haven't really looked at it because at the end of the day, I'm trying to focus on this season and I'm not really worried about what's going to happen next year," Betances told the New York Post. "I'm still learning as it goes along right now. I'm learning from guys who have been in the bullpen their whole career. I'm going to continue to learn. I guess if you look at my stuff, I've improved."
Both Robertson and Betances are arbitration eligible after this season, and it's likely Robertson will wield the higher value because of his role as closer along with the success he's had. Betances would cost the Yankees less money and he's the obvious long term and more stable solution to take over the closer role that had been occupied by Rivera from 1997 until 2013. The Bronx could begin to see another Rivera in the making as early as 2015.
