Betances knows Lagrange's new path, and knows he can thrive on it

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK -- Dellin Betances remembers standing in a visiting clubhouse in Gwinnett, Ga., pleading for more chances to prove himself.

The Braves’ Triple-A lineup hadn’t been able to touch him that night in 2013, overpowered through five hitless innings. But Betances had also walked four -- another example of the hard-throwing right-hander’s inability to consistently throw strikes.

That was when the Yankees ran out of patience, moving Betances to the bullpen and dispatching veteran pitching coordinator Gil Patterson to break the news.

“I remember telling Gil, ‘Just give me another month,’” Betances said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “If I suck this month, you can take me off the roster. Do whatever you want to do with me.”

Patterson relayed that message to decision-makers in New York and Tampa, but they refused to budge. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.

A decade later, Betances had enjoyed a productive career that included four consecutive All-Star appearances from 2014-17. Now the organization hopes there will be parallels after shifting Carlos Lagrange, its No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, to the bullpen this week.

“I’m excited for Lagrange,” Betances said. “I had a feeling this was going to happen. I didn’t know it was going to be this soon, but I just felt like he was going to be better suited this year out of the bullpen -- especially with how the starters have been for the Yankees. It’s the best rotation I’ve seen in a long time.”

Lagrange made his first relief appearance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, striking out seven over four scoreless innings.

While the Yankees still forecast Lagrange as a starting pitcher for 2027 and beyond, they believe his best chance at helping in ’26 will be as a reliever, where his triple-digit fastball is expected to provide the bullpen with needed swing-and-miss.

Betances said he met Lagrange during the Arizona Fall League and took an increased interest in the situation this spring, especially after numerous scouts and coaches floated comparisons between the hurlers. He believes that pitching more frequently refined his command.

“I just went on an insane run,” Betances said. “My strike-throwing just became way better. I felt like I was more consistent with my delivery. I was able to repeat my delivery really well, and I was able to just command the strike zone. I got tremendously better; it was like night and day.”

Betances’ biggest adjustment then, he said, revolved around preparing for the phone to ring. He remembers leaning on teammates Matt Daley, David Robertson and Matt Thornton for help, and, of course, watching Mariano Rivera closely.

“As a starter, you have all the time in the world before the games,” Betances said. “I started asking the bullpen guys, ‘How do I warm up and get myself ready? When do I start stretching?’ Eventually, you warm up with your fastball, try to get that over, then you get your offspeed. You should be good within 15 pitches.

“ … My biggest advice to [Lagrange] is, you’ve got to find a routine that’s going to work for you. How many pitches? How much time do you need to be ready?”

Easier said than done. Betances recalled that, at first, the Yankees had him throw two or three innings in each of his Minor League relief appearances. He’d then have two or three days off, then appear again.

That could serve a rough blueprint for what Lagrange’s workload could look like this month, as manager Aaron Boone has discussed a “de-load” phase. By the end, Betances said his body was responding better than it had as a starter.

“I felt like when I pitched back-to-back days, I felt better,” Betances said. “I don’t think that’s what they’re going to do with him; they’ll monitor his rest, but when you pitch a couple of innings and get a couple of days off, you feel fresh. You get out there and you’re like, ‘Man, I actually feel really good.’”

Maybe that’s how it will be for Lagrange; only time will tell. Boone said earlier this year he sees similarities between Betances and Lagrange, with some caveats.

“I get the correlation, because of the size and everything,” Boone said. “I think Carlos has maybe the three pitches [fastball, slider, changeup] and potential strike-throwing that would allow him to be a starter. But if I looked up in a few years and saw Carlos in that Dellin role, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

As we wait, Betances does offer one correction -- he doesn’t see Lagrange as a second version of himself. Lagrange may be better.

“I think his stuff is above what I was doing, to be honest with you,” Betances said. “He definitely has the physical similarities -- the height, the looks, the mannerisms. But I was at the end of my chances as a starter.

“This kind of reminds me almost of when Joba [Chamberlain] came up [in 2007] and took the baseball world by storm. Hopefully, he gets the chance to come up pretty quickly. I’m sure they’ve got a plan, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”