To understand how important Luis Severino is to the 2017 Yankees season, all you have to do is
look at their starters. There are three veterans that make up the front of the rotation, Tanaka,
Pineda & Sabathia. All have health concerns, all are in the last year of their contract or can
opt out in Tanaka’s case. Tanaka (14-4) was solid last year especially after the all-star break,
but CC & Michael were a combined 15-24. Severino was the biggest disappointment, posting an 0-8
record with a 8.50 era as a starter last year, in my opinion because he was a 2 pitch starter (not
because of fastball command as Joe Girardi & Larry Rothschild kept saying). If Sevy can reestablish his change-up
which was once an out-pitch for him on the minor league level, he can drastically improve the overall look
of the rotation and give the Yankees hope to contend in 2017. This will be the third Yankee spring training
that I will write about on this website, and there has been no topic I have written about more than the need
for Severino and Pineda to throw a change-up as a third pitch with more frequency. In this case, the change
is a game-changer !!
Below is one of many posts on this topic. This one is from May.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIyG7QNvzTU
