RADIO
Luis Severino Established As Yankees Ace
7 years agoAfter a painfully disappointing 2016 season that saw him end up as a reliever, Luis Severino’s expected leap came in 2017. The Dominican right-hander established himself as one of the top pitchers in the American League, going 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA, striking out 230 batters in 193 innings. He was only one of two pitchers to both average over 10 strikeouts per nine innings and a ground ball rate over 50% for the entire season. Severino’s biggest flaw is home runs, which may come as no surprise considering the ballpark he calls home. His BB/9 number, however, was his way of combating the home runs, as he posted a 2.37 number. Considering the Yankees look poised for a strong 2018 campaign, look for their ace’s win total to see a rise. If he manages to keep the strikeout and ground ball numbers at his 2017 rates, the 23-year-old Severino will be a borderline top 10 starting pitcher and should be gone within the first four rounds.
