You’ve met the newest additions and you’ve met some of the
catchers that have been put in place to catch their heat, but no team goes to
the playoffs without an ace. No playoff team makes the postseason and goes far
into October without a top-of-the-rotation type guy, and for the New York
Yankees that guy is Luis Severino. Let’s get reacquainted with the Yankees ace
(yes… ace, whether you agree with it or not), Mr. Luis Severino!
Luis Severino, 24-years old, is a right-handed starting
pitcher for the New York Yankees that will likely take the ball for the club on
Opening Day 2019. Severino, all 6’2” and 215 lbs. of him, possesses a 98 MPH
four-seam fastball, an 88 MPH slider, an 89 MPH changeup and a 92 MPH cutter
that he rarely uses. Maybe Mariano Rivera, who vows to teach the Yankees arms
how to “pitch” after being inducted into the Hall of Fame this season, can help
Severino throw that cutter not only more often, but more effectively as well.
Luis Severino was born on February 20, 1994 in Sabana de la
Mar, Dominican Republic. It has been reported that Severino grew up as a fan of
the New York Yankees, most notably of fellow Dominican-born player Robinson
Cano, in the small Hato Mayor province of the DR. It was there that the Yankees
found him and signed him as an international free agent on December 26, 2011.
Severino signed a $225,000 signing bonus, spurning the Colorado Rockies who
also offered him the same deal that the Yankees later matched. Severino worked
his way through the Yankees system and up the ladder in the Yankees
organization, earning a trip to the 2014 All-Star Futures Game. It was the 2015
season that the Yankees finally had seen enough of Severino in their minor
league system and called the flame throwing right-hander up to the Major
Leagues after an injury to Michael Pineda made the Yankees short a starter.
Severino’s MLB debut came against the Boston Red Sox on
August 5, 2015 at just 21-years of age. Severino started 11 games for the
Yankees in 2015, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.89 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 62.1
innings pitched. Severino looked to build on that success the next season, but
a trip to the disabled list for right triceps inflammation, along with
struggles finding the strike zone, forced Severino into the Yankees bullpen for
much of the season. Severino’s stat line was ugly overall for the 2016 season,
but his 3-0 record and 0.39 ERA and 0.77 WHIP as a reliever gave the Yankees
some hope, and Severino some confidence, going forward towards the 2017 season.
Severino won the Yankees 4th starter job out of spring
training in 2017 and led the team to the postseason as the American League Wild
Card winner. Severino was given the ball to start against the Minnesota Twins,
but the Yankees young right-hander struggled early as nerves got the best of
him on the big stage. Severino gave up three earned runs in the first inning
against the Twins and left just one-third of an inning. Severino looked better
overall in the postseason, helping the Yankees to a Game 7 of the ALCS before
ultimately losing to the Houston Astros, but was never able to find that
dominance that he saw during the regular season. Severino finished the 2017
season with a 14-6 record, a 2.98 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 230 strikeouts, which
was good for a third-place finish in the American League Cy Young Award vote.
Severino was named the Yankees Opening Day starter in 2018
and he came out blazing in the first half. Severino was named to his second
consecutive All-Star Game in 2018 after finishing the first half with a 14-2
record and a 2.31 ERA in 20 starts with 144 strikeouts, but the second half was
not as kind to Luis as the first. Severino struggled for much of the second
half and finished the season with a 19-8 record and a 3.39 ERA overall.
Severino once again started the Wild Card game for the Yankees, but this time
he pitched much better in a Yankees victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Severino will look to not only build on a 19-win season in
2018, but also look to pitch better in the postseason here in 2019. The Yankees
will be there, but they won’t go very far without their workhorse at the top of
the rotation. No pressure, Luis, but everything rests on your right shoulder
and arm. Let’s do this.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)