Brewers decline option on RP Francisco Rodriguez and SS Yuniesky Betancourt

[TooLiveBrew]

But at least Gomez is also good on defense

[trwi7]

Mike wrote:

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True except you did have to hear BA announce-
"Betancourt goes after the first pitch and pops up to...."
Love that line!

And for the last couple months of the season it was Betancore. For some reason that really annoyed me, along with BA saying Jon Jay.

[nate82]

Mike wrote:

---

True except you did have to hear BA announce-
"Betancourt goes after the first pitch and pops up to...."
Love that line!

And for the last couple months of the season it was Betancore. For some reason that really annoyed me

That is the correct way to say his last name the "t" is silent in his last name.

[trwi7]

nate82 wrote:

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That is the correct way to say his last name the "t" is silent in his last name.

I know it is. Still doesn't mean it can't annoy me.

[nate82]

nate82 wrote:

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That is the correct way to say his last name the "t" is silent in his last name.

I know it is. Still doesn't mean it can't annoy me.So now his name annoys you more than his play?

[bill hAll Star]

The problem with "Betancore" is that, yes, the silent 't' at the end is correct, but he didn't add any of the other correct pronunciation that would be used in a Spanish context.

That's what always kinda annoyed me about how BA said it.

[1992casey]

The letter "t" isn't silent in Spanish. I don't remember the details, but part of the explanation was that Cuba has a lot of ethnicity that isn't Spanish. Yuni's first name is Russian, and his last name certainly isn't Spanish. I'd say we're dealing with a mixed bag of pronunciation "rules" that are influenced by a number of different factors.

[bill hAll Star]

Oh, I know that the 't' isn't silent in Spanish, I speak it, I'm just saying that he missed out on all the accents if you were trying to say it authentically.

 

I guess it was just like he was trying to be real cool about saying it authentically but really was not doing it at all.

 

I also know his ethnicity isn't Spanish and the whole Cuban thing is the reason for it, but whatever Hispanic/latino tone you want to use about it was missing.

[nate82]

The letter "t" isn't silent in Spanish. I don't remember the details, but part of the explanation was that Cuba has a lot of ethnicity that isn't Spanish. Yuni's first name is Russian, and his last name certainly isn't Spanish. I'd say we're dealing with a mixed bag of pronunciation "rules" that are influenced by a number of different factors.

Off topic but it sounds French in origin with the "t" being silent but I am not sure that is proper French either. A new and interesting Betancour"t" thread!

[trwi7]

And I realize this shouldn't bother me at all especially since my last name is pronounced totally different than how it's spelled and I don't know why it annoys me but for some reason it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. And no, I don't blame Betancourt for it yet, although I'm trying to think of a way that I can. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[reillymcshane]

The silent 't' in Betancourt is likely French in origin.

 

France controlled Cuba in the late 1700s and early 1800s, so there are some French elements in Cuban culture.

 

I believe there was a major influx of French-speaking immigrants into Cuba as a result of the revolt in Haiti (which was around 1800, if I recall correctly). France lost control of Haiti after a slave revolt, and most of the colonists of French descent fled the island - many for Cuba, which was now controlled by France.

[reillymcshane]

From Ancestry.com:

 

Spanish (Canary Islands) and Portuguese: from Béthencourt, the name (with many variants) of the first

conqueror of the Canary Islands (1417), a knight of Norman-French

origin. This name is also common and widespread in Latin

America.

So the name is French in origin, but is mostly found in Spanish-speaking Latin America. Probably why you have various pronunciations. Some families have probably kept the more 'French' pronunciation (with a silent 't') while others haven't.

 

I love tangents!

[hawing]

I love linguistic tangents!

 

Yuni is truly a man of mystery: the pronunciation/origin of his name, his inexplicable roster tenacity, his .900 OPS in the NLCS, and even his batting music, which was the only one never identified by the Brewers.

Yuni, we hardly knew ye.

[Invader3K]

I really, really, REALLY hope Melvin was just being nice when he gave Tom Haudricourt this tidbit:

 

#Brewers aren't necessarily parting ways with Yuni Betancourt by declining $6 M option. Would consider brining him back at lower price.

[adamb100]

Melvin has already said that Yuni isnt as bad as the media makes him out to be.

 

Now if Yuni can hit the way he did in the NLCS then sure bring him back but there is a fat chance of that being the norm for Yuni now.

[Invader3K]

One article I read suggested that the next team to sign him should have him change positions. No kidding. I actually think he could be a semi-competent second baseman. Not sure why he's stuck as a shortstop for so long.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Melvin has already said that Yuni isnt as bad as the media makes him out to be.

 

Now if Yuni can hit the way he did in the NLCS then sure bring him back but there is a fat chance of that being the norm for Yuni now.

The problem with this line of thinking is that every time a bad hitter like Yuni B has a hot streak (which every bad hitter inevitably does), there ARE people who think that it's an upward trend, and an indicator of future success.

 

Bad players, like EVERY player, have ups and downs. Yuni had a hot streak in August, and still ended up having a terrible year.

 

His hot postseason should in NO way be used to judge whether or not to bring him back.

[endaround]

One article I read suggested that the next team to sign him should have him change positions. No kidding. I actually think he could be a semi-competent second baseman. Not sure why he's stuck as a shortstop for so long.

Because his bat can't play at 2B, it can hardly play at SS. Then he was given his terrible contract pushing him into the lineup everyday instead of a utility role.

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Could Betancourt be a good 3B? It wouldn't require as much range as SS (which he doesn't show), but does require a strong arm (which he has) and good hands (he is "Mr. Golden Hands"). Not saying that Betancourt should be an option in Milwaukee at 3B, but perhaps for another team.

[monty57]

One article I read suggested that the next team to sign him should have him change positions. No kidding. I actually think he could be a semi-competent second baseman. Not sure why he's stuck as a shortstop for so long.

 

I don't. Yuni has plenty of arm for SS, it's his lack of range that's the problem. He would have that same problem at 2B, and his arm wouldn't be as much of an asset. I'd say he'd be a worse 2B than he is a SS. He'd make a good defensive 3B, but he would be a really, really bad hitter for a 3B.

[jeffy]

...And for the last couple months of the season it was Betancore. For some reason that really annoyed me...

 

What is annoying is that the guy was in MLB for 6+ years before anyone bothered to learn the (more) correct pronunciation of his name.

 

Les Nessman and "Chai Chai Rodrigwez" was a bit of an exaggeration, but I always find it amazing that sports announcers are too lazy to ask a guy what his name is...recent Brewer examples: Podsednik, Villanueva. BA at least was intelligent enough to know that prior announcers and BS were probably mispronouncing Villanueva's name and so he asked the guy.

[Patrick425]

trwi7[/b]]

Mike wrote:

---

True except you did have to hear BA announce-
"Betancourt goes after the first pitch and pops up to...."
Love that line!

And for the last couple months of the season it was Betancore. For some reason that really annoyed me, along with BA saying Jon Jay.

For all the discussion about the proper pronunciation of Betancourt, I'm more puzzled by being annoyed with BA saying Jon Jay. Um...that's his name..right?

 

 

[1992casey]

It was the Dodgers' Spanish-speaking announcer who asked about the pronunciation. Anderson said he was embarrassed because checking to get pronunciations correct is part of his job and he failed to do that.

[TooLiveBrew]

Could Betancourt be a good 3B? It wouldn't require as much range as SS (which he doesn't show), but does require a strong arm (which he has) and good hands (he is "Mr. Golden Hands"). Not saying that Betancourt should be an option in Milwaukee at 3B, but perhaps for another team.

Skillset-wise, he's a third baseman. He'd actually probably defend pretty well there.

[TooLiveBrew]

I really, really, REALLY hope Melvin was just being nice when he gave Tom Haudricourt this tidbit:

 

#Brewers aren't necessarily parting ways with Yuni Betancourt by declining $6 M option. Would consider brining him back at lower price.

Here's a longer (albeit older) quote, from Adam McCalvy's blog:

 

“I thought Yuni Betancourt was a better player than what the critics had

said,” Melvin said earlier this month. “I thought he did a very good

job. If you look at the on-base percentage, that’s the thing that always

seems to hurt him. [Defensively] I thought he made a lot of very good

plays, a lot of outstanding plays. … I’m very surprised about some of

the critics on him, personally.”

 

To me, that says Yuni is plan B & will definitely be back if Melvin isn't able to find a FA or trade target.