Luis Severino (MLB’s #23 prospect) began this year on the Yankees’ AA team (the Trenton Thunder), which he dominated and was then promoted to the Yankees’ AAA team (the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders) where he annihilated the opponents! Here is the pitching line he successfully accomplished:
AA Team
3.32 ERA
38 innings/32 hits + 10 walks = 1.105 WHIP
48 strikeouts
AAA Team
1.91 ERA
61.1 innings/40 hits + 17 walks = 0.929 WHIP
50 strikeouts
From a pitching standpoint, my favorite measurable category has been the WHIP (walks plus innings pitched). I used to calculate it in my head many years ago whenever I saw all 3 categories shown on a pitcher. Anything close to 1.1 is very, very good. Anything lower is considered phenomenal!
Of course, I don’t expect Severino to automatically carry such overwhelming stats into the majors, but it’s obviously an advantage for a pitcher to begin a career with them! I really want to see Luis succeed. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a dominating starter developed by the Yankees. Of course, they’ve recently produced starters Ivan Nova and Adam Warren (now in the bullpen), but neither one was as highly appraised as Severino. His fastball averages between 94 to 97 mph (which will typically increase as he gets a little older) and he also throws an above-average change-up with an effective slider that is still developing.
The Yankees’ main pitching production over the last few decades has clearly been dominated by their bullpen guys such as Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, and Dellin Betances; but, not since Andy Pettitte have they had such a highly-touted potential starter. Even their not-too-long-ago former starters Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain didn’t gain as much acknowledged acclaim from the scouts and the press. The only knock on Severino is his “short” height - he’s exactly 6’ tall. Some feel that he’s at least a few inches too short for a strategic enough plane; but, “short” pitchers such as Pedro Martinez, Fernando Valenzuela, and former Yankees’ great, Ron Guidry were all dominating pitchers without the height advantage.
It’s unquestionably too early to know how successful Severino will be, but it sure is exciting to have the opportunity to watch him while we continue on our first place path to the playoffs.
