Phillies add Yuniesky Betancourt for depth
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Phillies add Yuniesky Betancourt for depth
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Phillies signed Yuniesky Betancourt, a light-hitting veteran middle infielder, to a minor-league deal Monday. He is invited to big-league spring training, where a chance at a bench job could await.
More than likely, Betancourt will simply provide depth if he agrees to a triple-A assignment. The 30-year-old has spent parts of eight seasons with Seattle, Kansas City and Milwaukee. He has not played in the minors since 2005, save for rehab assignments.
Of course, if the Phillies must rely on Betancourt for anything more than depth, they could be in deep trouble. Betancourt is an out-making machine who has not posted an OPS above .692 in five seasons.
Betancourt's career on-base percentage of .290 is 11th worst in the Expansion Era (since 1961) among players with at least 3,800 plate appearances.
He has played 949 career games at shortstop, and that's what sets him apart from much of the infield depth the Phillies will have in spring training. Kevin Frandsen, who signed for $850,000 guaranteed, cannot play shortstop. Freddy Galvis is the best defender there, but the Phillies could decide he's best suited playing every day at triple A.
Pete Orr, a camp invitee, has limited work at short. Michael Martinez can play there but has his own offensive liabilities. He'll be in camp, too. Andres Blanco was triple-A Lehigh Valley's shortstop in 2012 and he will also be in camp.
Betancourt made $2 million in 2012 but did not finish the season with Kansas City. He was released Aug. 14 and cleared waivers.
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"He has played 949 career games at shortstop, and that's what sets him apart from much of the infield depth the Phillies will have in spring training. Kevin Frandsen, who signed for $850,000 guaranteed, cannot play shortstop"
He has played 949 career games at shortstop, and that's what sets him apart from much of the infield depth the Phillies will have in spring training. Yuniesky Betancourt cannot play shortstop.
Fixed that for you Gelb....— TeamAwesome- Oh no...mini-mart's name in mentioned again!— BobbyD
- Ah ... remember that great, stretch drive, 3 week run last year when his BA was BELOW .100? Those were some dramatic at bats. Could have been a once in a lifetime double digit hitter. Oh,what might have been.
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- Watching the competition for backup shortstop in spring training will be like attending a time warp fantasy camp where Marty Marion, Luke Appling, Arky Vaughan, and Lou Boudreau are all battling it out.
Yuniesky Betancourt. Mikey Martinez. Can we set the bar any lower?— dasher - Dasher forgot Eddie Joost and Buddy Kerr.— NewMick314
- Well - I guess the roster is complete ... We just got a guy with one of the worst on-base-percentage in the history of baseball. An "out making machine" ... on OFFENSE!!! Next thing you know, Ruin Tomorrow Jr. will be bringing Chad Durbin back ...— Copper34
- Amaro's bold mission to collect every sub-.300 OBP guy known to man continues. When his $20 million pitchers break down from overuse and constant high leverage use please don't chalk it up to dumb luck. It's tough to make 33 starts knowing you can't give up 2 runs and hope for a W.— jtj10
- Stop the whining. Its a minor league deal, thats it. RAJ is filling out the AAA roster. Why do ya'll make a huge deal over something completely insignificant? Must be 2 weeks for Spring training...the negative comments are coming in droves.— drhoffman
- drhoff.....exactly! These bozos on this site think that they are akin to Shirley Povich. They'd complain about how Rube positions his garbage cans at the curb.— FishtownFitz
"Light hitting shortstop" is redundant.
His career stats and averages put him smack dab in the middle for what can generally be expected from the shortstop position.
Besides, Freddy Galvis, he of the career .254 OBP will be the shortstop if Rollins gets injured. So relax .... :)— zubzub- With all due respect, I'm more interested in the garbage he brings in than the garbage he puts out.— dasher
- I do not understand why Pete Orr is even in the conversation. He has NO upside.— SteveS11
- Pete Orr is still in the conversation b/c RAJ is a moron. They are now going to have to carry two utility infielders b/c Frandsen cannot back-up Rollins at SS. I guess they could try Michael Young there ... he won a gold glove there as recently as the 2008, you know ... Maybe Delmon Young can play CF too - when the Phillies realize that Revere (with no extra-base hits and a noodle-arm) is a waste. Every time I think about an Amaro move, it gets more and more frustrating. At least he finally replaced Werth in the lineup ... Oh darn ...— Copper34
- If this guy runs Mini mart out of town then I'm all for it. Actually, Betancourt looks like Babe Ruth next to Martinez.— ronin32
