Written by Greg Fertel
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18 June 2007
- Age: 19
- Height: 6'9"
- Weight: 230 lbs
- Acquired: Drafted in the 8th Round in 2006 out of High School
- Position: Starting Pitcher
- Throws: Right
Scouting Report: Dellin throws his fastball from 93 to 97 mph, although that could rise this season with the 20-30 pounds of muscle that he added. He uses his height to throw on a good plane. His best secondary pitch is a plus knuckle-curve, which he commands very well. He's spent much of extended spring training working on improving his changeup, and it's coming along very well by all accounts. For a tall man, Dellin has very good command and clean mechanics. He has the kind of overpowering stuff that brings a guy a lot of hardware over the course of a career.
History: Dellin was drafted by the Yankees in the 8th round. He was projected as very early 1st round pick, but fell mostly due to a strong threat that he would go to college if picked by any other team than his hometown Yankees. He got his wish, and his 7-figure bonus. The Yankees and Nardi Contreras quickly got fairly messy mechanical problems straightened out with Dellin, improved his curveball, and got him throwing a changeup very quickly. Dellin, like most high school stars with overpowering stuff, didn't throw the change much to the inferior hitters he was facing. Dellin spent some time in the GCL, pitching 23 innings with 27 strikeouts, 7 walks, and a 1.16 ERA.
This Season: Betances has been working out in extended spring training, and will debut to start Staten Island's home opener on Wednesday. He's been working on simple things in addition to his changeup - fielding his position, keeping his mechanics consistent, and working out and adding weight. He's visibly stronger; I wouldn't be shocked if he was 15 pounds heavier than his listed 230 lbs. I also wouldn't be surprised if he cranks his velocity up even further with the added muscle. Make no mistake: he's no Joba Chamberlain. Betances is all muscle.
Outlook and Movement: Betances is a long way off and will have many chances to fail before he makes the major leagues. He will spend all of this season in Staten Island, and likely will head to Tampa in 2008. He'll be 20 years old, and his movement from there will depend on how well he pitches. He could very well have a Hughes-like rise (although delayed a little, since Dellin has lost some time due to the extra EST time) and find himself in the majors by the middle of 2009. In all likelihood though, Betances will debut about a year later.
Ranking: I couldn't rank Dellin above Joba, Kennedy, or Tabata. He's just too far away. He's got a lot of time to be derailed by an arm injury, mess up his mechanics and start walking people left and right, or just not adjust to every-day baseball. I'm not saying that any of these things will happen, but when you're 19 years old, the odds are almost ways against you no matter how great you are. He's a raw product that could be better than anyone on this list, but for now he stays in back of the safer bets. I fully expect him to make #1 on my list one of these days.
Next up: Ian Kennedy
