Luis Severino & His Hypothetical Leash

The New York Yankees have a history, at least during my lifetime, of having an obvious bias against and preference towards veteran players over young guys and prospects. Say what you will about the Core Four coming through the minor league system or the flood of young guys that came up in 2005 but on the grand scheme of things the Yankees prefer the veterans. It was the veterans getting hurt in 2005 that forced the hand of Brian Cashman that brought us Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner and Chien-Ming Wang. With another possible youth movement headed towards the Bronx and with their poster child and leader Luis Severino struggling out of the gates this season you have to wonder what it means and how long Severino’s leash will be this season. 

Severino has struggled this season and you have to wonder just how much more patience the Yankees have in them. The starting rotation as a whole is struggling and there is just one man in it with a minor league option left and that’s Severino. Now I am a huge believer that you have to let a young guy figure it out in the Major Leagues but this is not my opinion that I think the Yankees will send Severino down or should send Severino down I’m only using history and common sense as a way to figure this thing out. Ivan Nova is pitching well in the bullpen and he’s in a contract year while Severino is struggling with minor league options remaining, it seems like a no brainer if you’re trying to compete in 2016 like the team says they are.

There is nothing to say that Severino couldn’t go down to Triple-A and figure it out for a few starts before coming back in late May or June. There’s no shame in it either. I don’t think it should come to that though and here’s why. If you watch the games and not just read the box score the next day you will see that Severino shakes off Brian McCann far too much. Now there is believing in your stuff and there is being foolish and the difference is probably about as big as an inch. If you believe in your stuff and you win with it, great, but when you shake off a veteran catcher known for calling great games and get hit hard like he did on Tuesday night you have to think that the problem is not with Severino’s stuff but with his head.

Someone needs to sit down with Severino and tell him to not only trust the stuff and the work ethic that got him to the Bronx but to trust his catcher as well. If he can’t trust his catcher then he will likely be sent down for a few weeks to send a message and open some eyes that this is the way it needs to be. If that doesn’t fix it then the leash may get shorter and shorter as the Yankees have never shown much patience with their young prospects, especially their pitchers.