New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino began the 2018Â season on fire, earning a 2.31 ERA before the All-Star break, making him a clear candidate for the Cy Young award.
After the break, Severino struggled mightily, unloading a porous 5.57 ERA with a 5-6 record. His quality nose-dived, supposedly because of tipped pitches – there were reportedly no injuries that played a part in his struggles.
The fact of the matter is, the Yankees have numerous No.2 quality pitchers. They don’t have a true “ace” or Justin Verlander-type if you will. The potential is there for Severino to become one of the league’s most dominant pitchers if he can resolve his past issues.
Maybe bringing on Mariano Rivera to help develop and refine the pitchers’ skill-sets will make a difference in Luis’s game.
The current Yankees rotation:
The Bombers currently have Severino, J.A. Happ, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and CC Sabathia in the starting rotation. Happ is likely the lead-dog heading into the 2019Â season, especially after an impressive 2018 where he finished the year with the Yanks 7-0. Tanaka is always a trust-worth option and improves as the game progresses, but there is simply not a lead option that you can trust to win games when it counts the most.
Making the jump from “very good” to excellent on a consistent basis is difficult to accomplish. Severino has the abilities, but can he mentally retain the idea of being the best? That’s the question. Sometimes, that mental challenge can be too much, but I’m confident the 24-year-old has what it takes.
The bottom line, the Yankees are in full win-now mode and are looking to grab a 28th trophy in the season ahead. Severino will undoubtedly play a big part in that journey, but he needs to refine his fundamentals and soak in as much information as the Sandman has to offer.