When it comes to starting pitcher Luis Severino for the New York Yankees, he might not be up to speed once the postseason rolls around.
Chances are, he won’t have had enough work to pitch 6/7 innings comfortably. In his first minor-league rehab assignment, he was batted around a bit despite striking out several hitters yet received high marks from the opposing team. He had a solid command of his pitches and was able to test different things out that he hadn’t before.
Here’s what some of the opposing hitters had to say, according to NJ.com:
“Obviously, his fastball had some life on it,†said Buffalo center fielder Anthony Alford. “Against me, I thought he was missing up a little bit, but after that, he settled in and hit the strike zone. I thought he looked pretty good.â€
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The Yankees could use a new philosophy that they’ve exercised this season with Severino during the playoffs. Similar to how they’ve used Chad Green this year, as an opener, the Yankees ace could fill that role and set up the regular starters.
On Wednesday night, the Yankees used Green as their opener; they then brought on Louis Cessa and several other right-handers who tossed five shut out innings before Adam Ottavino took over.
Once Dellin Betances returns, the Yankees bullpen will be stacked full of talent and quality. Adam Ottavino currently has a 1.66 ERA with 80 strikeouts, and just 40 hits over 59.2 innings pitched. He has been quietly one of the Yankees best off-season signings and will be a catalyst for the bullpen during the playoffs. However, the starting pitching could be a problem considering the injuries and lack of consistency from the unit. Severino offers them an extremely talented option to open games and take the pressure off of the starters in the first inning or two.
Would this be a good idea? Absolutely. The Yankees do not want to overuse Severino early on in his come back. Without a full season’s work, the Yankees cannot rely on him to go five innings or more. I like him in the opening role because he can confuse batters and be efficient early on. This will allow the Yankees to put runs on the board early and swing the momentum in their favor.