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Fantasy Baseball 2015 Sleeper: RP Dellin Betances

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By @BPiv_Sports

Dellin Betances

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees appear to be in good hands at the closer position. After one season as the Yankees’ closer, David Robertson left and signed with the Chicago White Sox, leaving another vacancy in the Yankees’ lineup. That’s not a problem, because Dellin Betances is primed to take over the closer spot. If you are late in your fantasy baseball draft and looking for a closer, Betances is your guy.

Betances was the Yankees’ best relief pitcher in 2014. He pitched in 90.0 innings, struck out 135 batters and finished with a 1.40 ERA and .778 WHIP. He had 16 games in which he struck out at least three batters and five games where he struck out four or more. The man was a strikeout machine as Robertson’s setup man heading into the ninth. Betances recorded 22 holds, tied for 16th in the league. He also finished with a record of 5-0 out of the bullpen.

He was able to blow past batters with a fastball reaching 100 MPH or make them look silly with a knuckle curve. Just find the video of Miguel Cabrera swinging at Betances’ knuckle curve. He throws both pitches with the same frequency (47 percent) which allows him to keep batters guessing.

The Yankees signed veteran relief pitcher Andrew Miller, but he doesn’t look to be in competition for the closer role. He will most likely be a setup man or a matchup-based pitcher.

Betances will be a great value to your fantasy team with the ability to strike out three batters per appearance and keep his ERA and WHIP very low. That added to the possibility of 40 saves makes Betances a nice option in the 15th or 16th round.

Bill Pivetz is a fantasy sports blogger for Rant Sports. He also contributes to the MLB, NFL and Pro Wrestling sections. Follow him on Twitter @BPiv_Sports.

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