I know baseball is all about “what have you done for me lately”, but we need to take a step back and really examine Luis Severino. Yes, he hasn’t duplicated his success from last season so far. Yes, we’ve heard about him being a future ace in the Bronx for years to come.
Just because he’s not throwing complete game, two-hit shutouts every time he starts, doesn’t mean he’s a lost cause and his career is shot. At the end of the day, the kid is just 22-years-old. We need to give him time to figure things out.
Severino’s most recent start in Texas was pretty ugly, but prior to that against Oakland he went six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits while fanning four. That kind of start is definitely good enough to win, but with a sluggish offense, the Yankees ended up losing that game 7-3. Severino is averaging 1.25 runs of support every time he starts. If he’s not perfect, he’s going to lose.
Let’s also keep in mind that this is the first time Severino has dealt with adversity in his professional career. He skyrocketed through the Yankees’s system, dominating every single level along the way – he went 23-11 with a 2.30 ERA in 65 starts over his minor league career, and made the impressive jump from double-A to triple-A to the majors in 2015.
However, this is a game of adjustments. After making 11 starts last year, perhaps the book is out on Severino. Maybe MLB hitters have adjusted to him. Now it’s up to Severino to adjust again.
Severino certainly still has the stuff to be successful at the MLB level. His average fastball velocity of 95.6 mph ranks fourth among starting pitchers. The Yankees, however, want him to tone down his changeup. Last year, Severino’s change came in at an average velocity of 87.8 mph. This year, it’s at 89 mph. There needs to be a bigger discrepancy between those pitches, otherwise hitters won’t be fooled and every pitch will look like a fastball.
Severino will start tonight in Baltimore as the Yankees try to end their five-game losing streak. The Orioles hit a lot of home runs, and like any home run hitting team, they can square up a fastball. Severino certainly has his work cut out for him. He made one start against the Orioles last year, going seven innings while giving up three runs on five hits. He struck out six and gave up two homers.
There has been speculation that Severino would get sent down to the minors if he continues pitching poorly. I believe you should let him figure this out at the big league level. A demotion could negatively impact his psyche.
Hopefully tonight is a stepping stone for both the Yankees and Severino. The potential is there, he just needs to go out and execute.
