Rafael Betancourt

Infobox MLB player
name = Rafael Betancourt


width = 200
caption =
team = Cleveland Indians
number = 63
position = Setup pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1975|4|29
birthplace = Cumaná, Sucre State, Venezuela
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = July 13
debutyear = 2003
debutteam = Cleveland Indians
statyear = September 6, 2008
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 22-20
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 3.16
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 371
teams =
*Yokohama BayStars (by|2000)
*Cleveland Indians (by|2003–present)

Rafael José Betancourt (born April 29, 1975 in Cumaná, Sucre State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who has pitched with the Cleveland Indians since mlby|2003. He was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox in September by|1993. The Red Sox released him following the by|1999 season and then re-signed him as a free agent in December by|2000. He was granted free agency again in October by|2001 and signed with the Indians in January by|2003. On July 8, mlby|2005 he became the sixth Major League player to be suspended for testing positive in steroids testing. [cite web | title = Players suspended under baseball's steroids policy | publisher = espn.com | date = 2006-06-07 | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2474192 | accessdate = 2007-07-20]

On January 23, mlby|2008, he signed a two-year contract with the Indians with a club option for 2010.

According to "Baseball America", Betancourt may be the future closer for the Indians. His best pitches are a curveball which is often mistakenly called a slider, and a 90–94 MPH fastball. He also throws a Changeup. Although he's not classified as a strikeout pitcher, Betancourt gets more than his share by throwing a significant number of strikes. He is a converted shortstop with a metal plate and six screws in his pitching elbow.

Betancourt is known in some circles for his odd windup. He constantly taps his foot on the rubber before coming set with a runner on base. He will constantly move his hands around and then tug on his baseball cap (sometimes doing it nine times) prior to throwing the next pitch. This is 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 is one of the few pitchers who have had this rule enforced while pitching.

ee also

*List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

References

External links

*Baseballstats | mlb=429783 | espn=3985 | br=b/betanra01 | fangraphs=177 | cube=B/Rafael-Betancourt
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/18/SP4QSRGIK.DTL&type=sports Weak-hitting shortstop found new life in bullpen]