The New York Yankees had to decide what to do with Luis Severino last year, keeping him in the big leagues paid off. But Severino might be even better in 2018, capturing the famed pitching award.
Throughout the years, the New York Yankees featured some of the best arms money could buy. And they have the numbers – and paychecks – to prove it.
Yet, somehow the MLB’s most prestigious franchise – 27 World Series championships – only have five Cy Young award winners in its history. The most recent was in 2001 when Roger Clemens beat out Mark Mulder by a considerable margin.
- 1961: Whitey Ford
- 2001: Roger Clemens
- 1978: Ron Guidry
- 1977: Sparky Lyle
- 1958: Bob Turley
Now New York has a golden arm capable of piecing together a historic run in Luis Severino. And he could be deemed the team’s next prodigious ace.
While the right-hander cannot be the youngest pitcher ever to earn the award, he would be the youngest Yankees player to do so. In an era of baseball that includes more home runs than ever, it would be a tremendous accomplishment.
Severino proved he has the stuff to contend for the reward last season, as he finished third in the previous race. No one expected the 23-year-old to rebound from a shoddy sophomore campaign with a 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts.
But the young, electric fireballer wasn’t fazed by his past experiences and posted All-Star-caliber numbers in the first half. Following the break, he continued to dominate the opposition.
On the surface, it’s clear how Severino improved throughout 2017. The Dominican struck more players out, reduced his walks allowed and increased the number of ground balls induced.
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More importantly, the right-hander developed more efficient off-speed pitches.
Hitters still fare well against his fastballs, as they posted a .256/.334/.449 triple-slash last season, per FanGraphs.
But his slider and changeup were both very effective. Hitters garnered a pithy .171 average against his slider and an equally meager .172 average against the changeup.
Severino wasn’t affected by luck, either. His FIP was relatively low at 3.07. And he ultimately dominated righties, limiting them to a sub-.200 average and a measly .297 OPS.
Maybe the most promising stats are his home-away splits from the past season. Unlike most pitchers, Severino was almost equal regarding efficiency both at Yankee Stadium and elsewhere.
The only difference was that he surrendered more dingers at home – one of the league’s most famous hitter-friendly parks.
Nevertheless, even while pitching in that environment, Severino has potential to be even better. If he adds another pitch to his repertoire and diminishes the number of bombs he yields, he could be poised for more first-place votes.
However, no matter how flawless Severino may be in the upcoming year, his competition also matters.
Corey Kluber and Chris Sale will still be favorites because they possess some of the best pitches in baseball.
Hitters are batting .116 against Kluber’s slider in his career, notching just 11 home runs compared to 565 strikeouts in the process, per FanGraphs. Hitters have had more success against Sale’s slider, but mostly in the power department – .165/.215/.265 triple-slash.
Furthermore, there are always darkhorse candidates – Rick Porcello, anyone? – That can piece together a deserving campaign.
Some of Severino’s teammates could even give him some competition. Sonny Gray finished third in the 2015 Cy Young race, so his ceiling is still mightily high with Masahiro Tanaka can rebounding into the race because of his off-speed repertoire.
At this point, it is all speculation. But when Spring Training rolls around, manager Aaron Boone could dub the young gun as the Opening Day starter.
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And that game could be the beginning of a beautiful campaign for the Yankees, and perhaps, for Severino himself.