Newly acquired New York Mets relief pitcher Dellin Betances — who’s coming off an injury — isn’t happy with his pitch velocity.
New York Mets reliever Dellin Betances had some bittersweet news for the media on Tuesday. After his simulated game, Betances said his velocity isn’t “close to normal” but believes he will be ready come Opening Day, per John Harper of SNY.
The 31-year-old spent the entirety of his eight-year major-league career with the New York Yankees — the team that drafted him — before signing a one-year deal with the Mets this past offseason.
Betances is arguably one of the best relievers in the game but has a history of injuries. He suffered a bone spur behind his right shoulder and didn’t make his season debut until Sept. 15 against the Toronto Blue Jays last season.
There had been a strong possibility that he wouldn’t pitch at all in 2019. Thus, Yankees fans were more than excited to see him back just in time for the playoffs. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Betances pitched just 0.2 innings before tearing his Achilles tendon. This effectively ended his season just as it began.
Betances has spent the offseason recovering from the injury and hasn’t experienced any setbacks during the rehabilitation process. Mets fans hope that Betances’ velocity can return to normal before the regular season begins. He possesses a 2.36 ERA, 1.043 WHIP, 2.31 FIP, and 177 ERA+ throughout his career. He’s also a four-time All-Star.
The Mets bullpen was one of the worst in the league in 2019 and they’ve made fixing it a priority. Acquiring Betances was the biggest move they made but they’re also banking on guys like Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia to experience bounce-back seasons.
If their struggling pitchers from 2019 can be great in 2020, and if Betances can return to his old self, this bullpen may be able to lead the team to the postseason.
