The New York Yankees have been left scratching their heads
after most of Luis Severino’s starts this season. The young right-hander took
the minor leagues by storm in 2015 only to come up to the Bronx and continue
his dominance against Major League hitting. The Yankees thought they had their
ace for the current and for the future in Severino heading out of spring
training camp this season but Severino has done nothing to live up to the hype
train that followed him up until his triceps injury earlier this month. With CC
Sabathia slated to be back on Friday after a groin strain landed him on the
15-day DL and Ivan Nova pitching for his future and a contract like a mad man
possessed you can’t really allow Severino back in the rotation when he returns,
can you?
I’ve said it in a few of my game preview posts on the blog
and I’ll say it again only because I truly mean it. A young guy or a player
with a minor league option is simply a ticking time bomb when you play for the
New York Yankees. If there is a veteran or a “sure thing” also biding for
playing time and you, the young gun, have minor league options it’s usually
just a matter of when a bad start will come that will be used as an excuse to
demote you and not if. This is likely going to be the case, in my opinion, for
Severino as well but this time I have to say that I agree with it.
Severino’s confidence has to be shattered. If it’s not he is
much more of a man than I am. He has been hit and hit hard in almost every
start he’s had this season and what compounds the problem is that he is getting
beat on his best pitch. His slider is being hit hard and Severino has no idea
where his fastball is going these days and a trip back to Scranton can only
help him. Another injury will occur and the combination of Michael Pineda,
Nathan Eovaldi, CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova may need some time off opening a door
for Severino to get his foot back in the door. It wouldn’t be forever, it may
not even be for a long time, but it would be helpful.
Send Severino down and make sure he’s healthy. Healthy
physically and healthy in the mind.
Very good synopsis Daniel, you got it right that is for sure. The kid has everything he needs to be a top of the line starter, let's see if he has the guts to work on his stuff. Something I think, he may have forgotten with all the numbers he has been putting up in "AA" and "AAA" and lest year.
ReplyDeleteThere is a cost to be paid for being number one and only those willing to pay said price can become number one!
Let's hope he has what it takes to be a number one. The talent is there, is everything else?
He can only be his worst enemy. Shaking off McCann far too much doesn't help.
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