Yankees Pitching Coach Sees Improvement from Luis Severino

New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino is making progress since his demotion to Triple-A Scranton in late May according to pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

With eight strong starts for the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders under his belt since being optioned to the minors on May 29, Yankees starter Luis Severino may be close to earning another shot in the major leagues.

Severino’s numbers are solid across the board through 51 innings of work in the International League, with a 3.18 ERA, 2.78 FIP, 7.59 K/9, and 2.12 BB/9. Most importantly, he is keeping the ball in the park. After allowing more than two homers per nine innings in seven MLB starts, he has allowed just 0.35 HR/9 in his eight appearances for the Railriders.

It sounds as if Yankees decision makers are starting to take notice, although no promotion appears to be imminent. Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild recently told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, “There’s some improvement. We’d like to see a little bit more. I know he’s working at it.” 

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Interestingly, Rothschild doesn’t believe the issues that led to Severino’s 7.46 ERA in the first two months of the season were anything new, telling Kuty:

"“Last year, he came up when he was on a pretty good roll, which makes a difference. But he got away with some pitches because hitters hadn’t seen him and he executed pitches to a degree — not a lot different, but I think a little bit better.”"

The disparity between Severino’s run prevention in 2015 (2.89 ERA) and his shaky peripherals (4.37 FIP), supports Rothschild’s assertion that the 22-year-old benefited from some good luck during his debut season in the Bronx.

Rothschild also hinted that many off Severino’s issues could be linked to nerves and the pressure of pitching on the big stage:

"“Thing is, he does stuff on the side and he’s pretty smooth. And then in the game, when the juices get going, he gets sped up a little bit. That’s when a few of the problems start.”"

It’s nice to hear that Severino is making progress, but it makes sense to leave him in the minors until the Yankees are completely sure that these mechanical issues have been corrected. Having him come back and struggle once again could really mess up his development.

Next: Yankees Face Uphill Climb to Second Wild Card Spot

The Yankees probably rushed him to the majors last season in an attempt to make the playoffs, and they shouldn’t make that mistake again.