Black MLB Players #2: Luis Severino
Luis Severino is a homegrown Afro-Latino starter for the New York Yankees with electric stuff and an expressive demeanor. A late bloomer who grew up a Yankees fan, Sevy is living his dream.
Background + Path To The MLB
Luis Severino is an Afro-Latino starting pitcher from Sabana de la Mar, a small town in the Dominican Republic that plays for the New York Yankees. Severino originally agreed to sign with the Colorado Rockies during the 2011 J2 signing period at the age of 18 for $225,000 dollars USD, but a Yankees scout persuaded him to sign with the team he grew up a fan of for the same amount of money.
Severino made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League(DOSL) during the 2012 season. Severino put up a 1.68 ERA in 64 innings pitched across fourteen starts. The Yankees knew they had something special as Severino progressed through the minor leagues, picking up the English language quickly, along with having a strong work ethic and poise on the mound. In 135 innings in the lower minors(DOSL-AZL-A-A+), Severino averaged an ERA below 3 at the ages of 19–20, which is excellent. Severino performed in the upper minors as well(AA-AAA), averaging a 3.00 ERA in 63 innings pitched in AA and a 2.90 ERA in 139.2 innings pitched at AAA at the age of 21.
Severino was considered a top 100 prospect by popular publications such as Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, and MLB Pipeline before the 2015 season. What made Severino stand out and achieve such great statistical performance was his excellent power pitcher’s arsenal and the ability to limit baserunners via the walk. There were skeptics of Severino because he is smaller than the average starting pitcher and has some injury risk because of this, and he has had a few major injuries in his career so far.
After his tenure in the minor leagues, Luis Severino started his first MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at 21 years old as the youngest starting pitcher to debut in the 2015 MLB season. Severino became the first American League pitcher in MLB history to strike out seven with no walks and allowing no more than two hits in their major league debut. Severino put up a 141 ERA+ for his rookie season, showing signs of future success by performing against peers who were much older and more experienced than him. Severino got the call up due to an injury suffered by Michael Pineda, and Brian Cashman deciding not to add a pitcher via trade before the deadline.
Severino began 2016 in the Yankees starting rotation but was placed on the Injured List on May 14th, 2016 due to right triceps inflammation. After recovering from the injury, Severino came back and was primarily used as a reliever to finish the season. Despite some struggle in his first full year at the major league level, the Yankees were still optimistic about Severino’s success. Severino followed up in 2016 by becoming one of the top ten starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. Severino saw huge improvements as a pitcher and was a key factor in why the rebuild the Yankees were embarking on during the late 2010s was so successful.
Severino took a huge leap forward in 2017 and was equally successful in 2018. He represented the American League in the All-Star Game and put up at least 4 WAR in both these seasons. Severino increased his strikeout rate, reduced the amount of base on balls he allowed, and hitters were less successful at garnering hits when they made contact. Severino finished in third place and tenth place in voting for the AL Cy Young Award in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Severino dealt with injury issues and only made a small number of appearances. Severino missed the shortened 2020 season because he needed Tommy John Surgery to reconstruct the UCL in his throwing elbow. Severino is scheduled to be back on the mound after recovering from surgery in late June at the earliest.
Player Profile
Luis Severino has three pitches in his arsenal, with a three-quarters delivery. He throws a four-seam fastball that sits at 96–97 mph and can reach 102 mph, a slider between 84–88 mph, and a changeup that can reach 88 mph.
Severino’s fastball is his most used offering, as he throws it more than half the time. What makes his fastball so effective is its velocity, as Severino is one of the hardest throwing starting pitchers in the majors, averaging north of 95 mph with his four-seamer. The spin rate on his fastball also is another facet that explains why it is such an effective pitch, along with the life and run it possesses. Severino concentrates on locating his fastball in the upper third of the strike zone to garner swings and misses with its combination of life, carry, and velocity.
Severino’s slider is his second most used pitch, and it is an above-average to plus pitch in its own right. His slider features two-plane break and velocity that is uncommon for a slider, combining velocity and movement to make it more difficult for hitters to hit. Severino’s pitches also complement each other due to their high spin rates and movement profiles, which makes Severino a lot more effective when he is tunneling his pitches.
Severino’s least used pitch is his changeup, although it is his best pitch. It has a very ridiculous movement profile along with it perfectly complementing its fastball due to its high spin rate and being a pitch meant to play off the fastball. Severino’s changeup sits in the high 80s, so it profiles well next to his other pitches.
For your stereotypical power pitcher, Severino has limited walks at an excellent rate while garnering swings and misses when up against his opponents throughout his professional career. Severino’s ability to limit baserunners and balls put in play by racking up strikeouts makes him an effective pitcher, and he has improved at these facets of the game since wearing pinstripes on baseball’s biggest stage.
Conclusion
Severino already established himself as one of the top starting pitchers in the game, but the only question left for him to face is whether or not he can stay healthy. Severino is still in his mid 20s and has a history of success so that does away with some of the concerns as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. 2021 and 2022 will be important seasons for Severino for him to reestablish value, as he is a free agent after the 2021 season. Being a homegrown Afro-Latino starting pitcher playing for the greatest franchise in the history of American sports, in NYC is a wonderful position for Severino to be in. I believe that Severino will be an above average pitcher for his career, even with the injury history/risk.
Fangraphs player page: https://www.fangraphs.com/players/luis-severino/15890/stats?position=P
Baseball-Reference player page: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/severlu01.shtml
Baseball Savant player page: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/luis-severino-622663?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb
