Not even 48 hours into 2020 and the Mets have gotten us all even more excited for this season by holding their Dellin Betances introductory news conference on Thursday.
Did it get you pumped? It got me pumped. And from the looks of Twitter, it got most fans pumped, too.
Betances said all of the right things – but there’s more to it than just that. Any player can be prepped on what to say during his introductory conference. But the thing with Betances is that it’s safe to say he actually means it, too.
He is a New Yorker. He’s playing in the city that he loves; the city that is his home.
There are few things more powerful than that, right?
This is how he started off his new conference, by acknowledging his roots and his trip around the boroughs:
“New York is in my blood. I grew up playing in the lower east side, I went to high school in Brooklyn, in ’07 I played minor league ball in Staten Island, in 2011 I made my Major League debut in the Bronx, and now I stand here getting a chance to wear this Mets uniform and playing in Queens.”
As a born, raised, and stayed New Yorker, I loved this. I’m sure you all did too.
Betances said that he already feels at home here (well, duh, New York is his home) but also took comfort in the fact that he has relationships with some of his new teammates, saying how he has already spoken with Robinson Cano and Jeurys Familia.
In addition to being excited to play in his home city, he is also excited to play for Carlos Beltran — who he played alongside on the Yankees from 2014 to 2016. Betances has cited that Beltran played a large role in his signing with the Mets, and he spoke Beltran’s praises again today, stating that Beltran is “hungry for baseball” and that he is excited to play for him.
Betances sealed the deal, and the enthusiasm of the fans for this upcoming season, when he was asked what his role might be int he bullpen. His response? “All I care about is winning.”
That’s pretty much all fans care about too.
Is this excitement and enthusiasm what the Mets need right now? Yes. Is it especially what the bullpen needs right now? An even bigger yes. It is no secret that the Mets bullpen could use a little (or a lot) pick me up. Betances can be this, hopefully resulting in a domino effect. Excitement is contagious. Winning is contagious. This positive and hungry attitude in the ‘pen should rub off. It’s rubbed off on the fans already.
