It’s no question that Gerrit Cole will take over the New York Yankees rotation as the ace of the staff. However, I believe that the Yankees will have a similar plan like the Houston Astros did last year. Cole will be the number one starter but Luis Severino will be the “1B” starter, just like Justin Verlander and Cole were on the Astros.
There’s been talk that Severino will never be a true ace and I couldn’t disagree more. Sure, he’s had struggles in the postseason but that wouldn’t immediately make him not an ace. Verlander, who’s thought by many to be the best arm in baseball, has had his struggles in October but still remains an ace of his staff.
This tweet put a real good perspective on Severino:
https://twitter.com/deflategator/status/1211670482732363776
Severino is only 25 years old and is putting up All-Star numbers each year, except for last season obviously. Besides his quality numbers, Severino’s arsenal of pitches is what separates him from other pitchers. His average fastball is 97.4Â mph while the rest of the MLB averages 92.3 mph.
With his high strikeout rate and high consistent fastball velocity, Severino is an ace. He’s going to progress even more too. Max Scherzer, one of the most feared pitchers in baseball, didn’t hit his full stride until five years into his career. Severino is already matching numbers that Scherzer put up when he started being selected as an All-Star and winning Cy Youngs, but way earlier in his career.
Cole will undoubtedly be the number one in ace in the rotation, but Severino will serve that role too when it’s his time on the bump. When Sevy is healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in the Major League.