The Yankees have had a successful spring training up to this point by most accounts. We have gained essential knowledge on some of the team’s top prospects and seen lower-level guys rise to the occasion against higher levels of talent.
Ultimately, the headlines focus on players like Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez, but we’ve seen unknowns like Andres Chaparro and Carlos Narvaez put together fantastic stat lines ahead of the 2023 regular season.
However, the Yanks had their fair share of struggles, notably in the pitching department. During Saturday’s disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees were hoping to see a better performance from starting pitcher Luis Severino.
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The Yankees know Luis Severino will be fine:
Severino is coming off a bounce-back 2022 season, pitching over 100 innings for the first time since 2018. He finally shook off the significant injuries that held him back in the past, looking to pitch 150+ innings during the 2023 season.
“Sevy is right where he needs to be,” Boone said. “Sevy’s in a good spot. I’m not that worried about the results.”
He enjoyed a 3.18 ERA, 3.38 xFIP, nearly 10 strikeouts per nine, and an 80% left-on-base rate. He was one of the team’s more reliable arms until a shoulder injury knocked him out for a few weeks, placing them on the 60-day injured list.
Given the fact that the Yankees added Carlos Rodon to the mix this off-season, there is a legitimate argument to make that the Yankees have four potential aces. Starting with Gerrit Cole, Rodon, Nestor Cortés, and Severino if he’s playing at the top of his game. That is why shaking out the majority of Sevy’s deficiencies during spring training is ideal. Across two outings, the 29-year-old starter has given up seven earned runs over 4.2 innings. During that sample size, he also allowed five hits, three homers, two walks, and struck out seven batters. He looked a lot better against the Rays, despite the unfortunate stat line.
“The years where I have been healthy, I’ve been accomplished,” Severino said. “Right now, I feel really good. I feel back to normal. Last year I had to pitch and wait until tomorrow. I know right now I’m going to feel good tomorrow.”
Via NJ.com.
Severino is dealing with some command issues as he moves through his throwing program. These things often iron themselves out by the start of the regular season, so the fact that he has nearly a month left to put together more efficient performances certainly bodes well for his upcoming season. Shaking out all of the bad innings and fixing those mistakes is exactly what practice is for, but there’s no question he is struggling to get things going.