Joe Girardi Compares Luis Severino To Greg Maddux

By Caleb Gebrewold | Mar 16, 2016

Sep 27, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) pitches against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Long before Greg Maddux was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, or even a member of the Atlanta Braves, he was an All-Star, and Cy Young, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, where New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi was serving as his catcher. Nearly 30 years later, Girardi has a young pitcher, Luis Severino, on his staff with plenty of potential star power, and he believes that Severino has the same poise as Maddux:

"I was around Greg Maddux when I was a young player. There was a ton of poise, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do, and I feel like Sevvy is the same way. He knows what he wants to do."

While the Yankees rotation is filled with question marks in 2016, the only question surrounding Severino is if he can build on a strong 2015, or if he will struggle in his second season. The Yankees will need Severino to build on his 2015, as he is the only pitcher the Yankees have under contract beyond the 2017 season, assuming Masahiro Tanaka chooses to opt out.

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Although he has just 11 starts under his belt, having the poise of arguably one of the better pitchers of all-time, the Yankees stud starter should be just fine going forward. Carlos Corporan, who is in camp battling for a role as the backup catcher, believes that what’s important for Severino’s development is how he mixes in his off-speed pitches:

"He’s a guy who is not afraid to use his fastball. It is just a matter of how to find out how to throw his off-speed pitches. He throws a lot of strikes. He’s around the zone all the time. Hitters know that and they will swing, they will take some hacks on him."

Severino, who went 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA, could be in line for a huge season, and Carlos Beltran, someone who has had a great career of his own, sees his development progressing just fine:

"I see Severino being one of the best pitchers in the game."

All of this praise for the 22-year-old Severino is great, but it is up to Severino to build off of his strong rookie season, and I believe that he could become the Yankees ace in 2016.

What do you think Yankees fans? Will Severino build on his rookie season, and become the Yankees ace, or will he struggle in 2016?

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