Yankees Scouting Report: Dellin Betances

Bronx Baseball Daily

Aug 21, 2010

Yesterday we got a full scouting report on one of the Yankees top pitching prospects Manny Banuelos and today, thanks to former scout and current AOL FanHouse writer Frankie Piliere we get another report. This time on Dellin Betances, who has regained his top prospect status this season after missing most of last year and part of this season with an elbow injury.

Here is a link to Piliere’s article, and here is my summary:

Physical Description

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He has an immense presence thanks to his 6’8″ frame.
He’s a “very strong, well-built athlete.
Unlike Andrew Brackman, he’s comfortable and coordinated in his large body.

Mechanics

His delivery is “much more clean and consistent” than Piliere anticipated.
He does occasionally get out of sync which Piliere witnessed a couple of times. He did show the ability to right himself quickly though.
“Most importantly, his arm action looked long, loose and clean, without any hitches or violent movement in there at all.”

Fastball

“The owner of a true plus fastball.”
It clocks in at 94-95 mph consistently and occasionally hit 96-97.
Solid, but not pinpoint command.

Curveball

“Betances’ top secondary weapon.”
“Sharp time after time.”
Clocks in at 81-83 mph.
“The curveball showed very hard, late bite with tight 12-6 rotation.”
“Yet another swing-and-miss offering for him at the big league level.”

Changeup

“More than just a show changeup.”
A 5 on the 2-8 scale.
Clocks in at 82-85 mph with good two-seam movement.
Potential for growth.

Summary

The best MLB comparison is to Josh Beckett because of similar deliveries, arsenals, and approaches.
His elbow surgery has not robbed him of his potential. Instead it might have made his secondary pitches better.
A healthy Betances is as good as anyone in the minor leagues.

That’s pretty much the gist of it. It’s amazing to read these glowing reports from Piliere. Here is the link to his Betances article again. Don’t forget, he also did reports on Manny Banuelos and Andrew Brackman.