Rafael Betancourt

Rafael Jose Betancourt (born April 29, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies, as well as in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama BayStars.

Career

Boston Red Sox/Yokohama BayStars

Betancourt was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox on September 13, 1993. The Red Sox released him following the 1999 season and then re-signed him as a free agent in December 2000 after he spent the 2000 season with the Yokohama BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. He was granted free agency again in October 2001, after serving the required time to acquire free agency.

Cleveland Indians

thumb|left|Pitching with the Indians in 2009

After sitting out the 2002 season due to right elbow surgery, Betancourt signed with the Cleveland Indians as a minor league free agent on February 6, 2003. He began the season with the Double-A Akron Aeros, making 31 appearances and posting a 1.39 ERA, 16 saves and 75 strikeouts in innings. Betancourt was soon promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he recorded one save and a 4.05 ERA in four games. Betancourt pitched in 33 games for the Indians in 2003, going 2–2 with one save and an ERA of 2.13. He went on to appear in 54 games, posting a 4–3 record, one save and a 2.79 ERA. His success from 2007 did not carry over to 2008, as he finished 3–4 with four saves and a 5.07 ERA in 69 relief appearances. He made 32 relief appearances with the Rockies to finish the season, going 3–1 with one save and a 1.78 ERA. In his first full season in Colorado, he finished 5–1 with one save and a 3.61 ERA in 72 games. Betancourt improved on those numbers in 2011, going 2–0 with eight saves and a 2.89 ERA in 68 relief appearances. Betancourt saved 31 games as closer, and posted a 1–4 record with a 2.81 ERA in 60 relief appearances. Eight days later, it was announced that Betancourt would undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Despite concerns that the injury may end his career, manager Walt Weiss stated that Betancourt would continue pitching. On October 29, the Rockies declined his option for 2014, making him a free agent.

On April 25, 2014, Betancourt signed a new minor league deal with the Rockies. He spent the season rehabbing from surgery and did not make an appearance in the majors.

On January 30, 2015, Betancourt signed a minor league contract to remain with the Rockies. He made his return to the Rockies' bullpen on April 6, tossing a scoreless inning while striking out two in Colorado's 10–0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. On August 23, Betancourt was designated for assignment. At the time, he was 2–4 with one save a 6.18 ERA in 45 relief appearances.

Pitching style

Betancourt's best pitches were a 90–94 MPH four-seam fastball, and a slider which was often mistakenly called a slurve. He also threw a changeup. Although he was not classified as a strikeout pitcher, Betancourt got more than his share by throwing a significant number of strikes. He was a converted shortstop with a metal plate and six screws in his pitching elbow.

Betancourt was known in some circles for his odd windup. He constantly tapped his foot on the rubber before coming set with a runner on base. He would constantly move his hands around and then tug on his baseball cap (sometimes doing it nine times) prior to throwing the next pitch. This was among the longest windups in the league. There is a rule to avoid unnecessary delays which states that if a pitcher takes at least 12 seconds to deliver a pitch, the pitch is automatically ruled a ball. Betancourt was one of the few pitchers who have had this rule enforced while pitching.

References

External links

Weak-hitting shortstop found new life in bullpen