The New York Yankees acquired the top pitcher in free agency Gerrit Cole who will head up the Yankee lineup that consists of Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and probably Jordan Montgomery until Domingo German returns from suspension sometime in June. Severino didn’t pitch in 2019 due to an injury suffered in spring training. The question this year is if he will return to his 2018 stats of 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA. In the few games, he pitched in the postseason he had an ERA of 2.07. This season may see a competition between Cole and Severino for the best record. Here’s some background on how the 25-year-old Severino got to where he is today.
Luis Severino was born on February 20, 1994, in Sabana de la Mar, Dominican Republic. As a boy he played baseball in the sand fields of the Republic, he played most infield positions but as he aged he preferred pitching. He loved baseball and grew up idolizing fellow Dominican and former Yankee player Robinson Cano. He hoped to play professionally and hoped to someday to pitch for the Yankees.
Yankee scouts in the Dominican Republic took notice of Severino and invited him to the baseball training facility in Boca Chica, a facility used by several teams. And when he was just seventeen signed him as an international free agent. He was offered a signing bonus of $225k, which the Colorado Rockies matched but Severino wanted to pitch for his childhood favorite Yankees. When he was scouted, he could throw a fastball in the low 90’s. He made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League for the Yankees where he went 4-2 with an ERA of 1.68 in fourteen games. He stayed in the Dominican League until 2013 when the Yankees promoted him to the Charleston River Dogs. During his time with the Dogs, Severino gained strength and increased his fastball to the high nineties He finished his first season with the River Dogs going again 4-2, this time in ten games with an ERA of 2.45.
Severino again started the 2014 season with the River Dogs but was quickly promoted to the Tampa A team. The same year he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game. Severino was propelling his way up the Yankee organization and was sent to the Trenton Thunder. Between the three teams, he went 6-5 with an ERA of 2.45 and with 127 strikeouts in 24 games. He started the 2015 season with Trenton but was again promoted this time to Scranton Wilkes/Barre. Before leaving Trenton he as 2-2 across eight games. Severino went 7-0 with an ERA of 1.68 for the Rail Riders.
In 2015 due to an injury to Michael Pineda, Sevy was called up in August to pitch in his first major league game against the Red Sox, he pitched five innings allowing two hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts. At the time he was the youngest starting pitcher in the leagues at age 21. He ended his rookie season having started 11 games, pitching ​63 innings with a 5–3 record, 2.89 ERA and 56 strikeouts. 2016 was a rough year for Sevy, he had injuries and was optioned back to AAA. Later being called back up but only as a reliever. In 2017 he started the season back in the rotation. Sevy impressed big time as he went a season-high in innings pitched, and achieved a record of 14-6 with an ERA of .298. He tied CC Sabathia for most strikeouts in a season by a Yankee pitcher. He was chosen to start the All-Star game but was removed after giving up three runs. He ended the season being voted 3rd in the Cy Young voting.
In the first half of the 2018 season, he recorded 14 wins before the All-Star Game, the first pitcher to that since 1969 when Mel Stottlemyre did it. He was again selected to pitch in the All-Star game. Severino started the AL Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics in a game the Yankees won 7-2. Severino finished the season 19-8 with an ERA of 3.39. For the second consecutive year, he led all major league pitchers with an average fastball velocity of 97.6 miles per hour. At the end of the season, Severino signed a $40 million contract for four years with a Yankee option for a fifth year.
In Luis Severino’s short career he earned Pitcher of the Week in the Florida League for the week of June 30. He was a AAA All-Star in 2015 for the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Rail Riders and an AL All-Star in 2017 and 2018. In 2018 he also won the most games for a 24-year-old pitcher in Yankee history. Sevy also holds the Yankee record for the most strikeouts per nine innings on average.
During spring training in Tampa in 2019, he suffered a rotator cuff inflammation and then suffered a strained lat muscle, during his initial rehab. After much delay he has pitched now in several simulated and minor league games. At the end of the season, he returned to the majors and pitched in 3 games with a 1-1 record and an ERA of 1.50. In the ALDS he pitched a no-decision outing going 4 innings and not allowing a run. In the ALCS he pitched 4.1 innings in a game the Yankees lost to Houston at the Stadium.
Severino is married to his wife Rosemary and has two children, both daughters, one born in 2015 and one born in 2017. Severino and his wife live in New York but have spent time before spring training in the Dominican Republic where they both have a family.