Rafael José Betancourt (born April 29, 1975 Cumaná,
Sucre State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball
right-handed relief pitcher who has pitched with the
Cleveland Indians since 2003. He was originally
signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red
Sox in September 1993. The Red Sox released him
following the 1999 season and then resigned him as a
free agent in December 2000. He was granted free
agency again in October 2001 and signed with the
Indians in January 2003. On July 8, 2005 he became
the sixth Major League player to be suspended for
testing positive in steroids testing.
On January 23, 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
change-up. 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. Some argue
that this is a balk, while others argue that he
stops the tapping before he comes set and delivers
the pitch. 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.
