Luis Severino

1. Overview

Luis Severino, nicknamed "Sevy", is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Severino signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2011 and made his MLB debut in 2015. After a challenging 2016 season, he emerged as one of the league's top pitchers in 2017, earning an All-Star selection and finishing third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. He was also named an All-Star in 2018. His career has been significantly impacted by various injuries, causing him to miss most of the 2019 and 2021 seasons and the entirety of the 2020 season. Following his tenure with the Yankees, Severino played for the Mets in 2024 before signing with the Athletics.

2. Early Life and Background

Luis Severino was born on February 20, 1994, in Sabana de la Mar, located in the Hato Mayor province of the Dominican Republic. From a young age, Severino was a dedicated fan of the New York Yankees, particularly admiring fellow Dominican baseball player Robinson Canó. This early affinity for the Yankees would later influence his professional career.

3. Playing Career

Luis Severino's professional baseball journey began with his signing as an international free agent, leading him through the minor league system before his impactful debut in Major League Baseball. His career has been marked by periods of dominance, significant injuries, and transitions between prominent MLB teams.

3.1. Minor League Career

Severino signed with the New York Yankees as an international free agent on December 26, 2011, securing a signing bonus of 225.00 K USD. Although he had initially agreed to terms with the Colorado Rockies, a Yankees scout successfully convinced him to join the team he had grown up supporting. At the time of his signing, Severino's fastball velocity was recorded at 91 mph.

He made his professional debut in 2012 with the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Yankees 1. That season, he started 14 games, achieving a 4-2 win-loss record with a 1.68 earned run average (ERA) and 45 strikeouts over 64.1 innings pitched. In 2013, he began the season with the DSL Yankees 1 before being promoted to the Charleston RiverDogs of the Single-A South Atlantic League. He concluded the 2013 season with a 4-2 record, a 2.45 ERA, and 53 strikeouts in 44 innings across 10 games (eight starts). During his time with Charleston, his fastball velocity notably increased, reaching 97 mph.

Prior to the 2014 season, Baseball America ranked Severino as the Yankees' ninth-best prospect. He started the 2014 season with Charleston, then advanced to the Tampa Yankees of the High-A Florida State League. Following his promotion to Tampa, he was selected to participate in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game in July. After the Futures Game, he received another promotion, this time to the Trenton Thunder of the Double-A Eastern League. Across these three teams in 2014, Severino compiled a 6-5 win-loss record with a 2.46 ERA, 127 strikeouts, and 27 walks over 24 starts, totaling 113 innings pitched.

Before the start of the 2015 season, MLB Pipeline ranked Severino as the top prospect in the Yankees' farm system and the 23rd best among all minor league players. Baseball America placed him 35th on their prospect list. Severino began the 2015 season with Trenton, where he recorded a 2-2 win-loss record with a 3.32 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 38 innings over eight starts. He was then promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A International League. While with the RailRiders, he collaborated with pitching coach Scott Aldred to refine his pitching delivery. Through the end of July, Severino achieved an impressive 7-0 win-loss record and a 1.91 ERA in 11 starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. As the Yankees were contending in the postseason race, the team's general manager, Brian Cashman, made Severino unavailable in trade discussions for prominent pitchers such as David Price, Cole Hamels, and Johnny Cueto at the MLB trade deadline on July 31.

3.2. New York Yankees

Severino's tenure with the New York Yankees spanned from his highly anticipated Major League debut in 2015 through a series of breakout seasons, injury setbacks, and eventual departure.

3.2.1. 2015

In late July, an injury to Michael Pineda and the Yankees' failure to acquire a starting pitcher before the trade deadline prompted Brian Cashman to announce that Severino's next start would be in the major leagues. His debut was scheduled against the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees' primary rival, at Yankee Stadium. Despite setting a career-high of 113 innings pitched in 2014, Cashman stated that Severino would not have an innings limit for the remainder of the 2015 season, partly because his innings had been managed earlier in the year.

Yankees' manager Joe Girardi set Severino's Major League debut for August 5. In his debut, Severino pitched five innings, allowing two hits, two runs (one earned), while striking out seven and issuing no walks. At 21 years old, he was the youngest pitcher to make a start in the 2015 MLB season. Furthermore, he became the first AL pitcher in MLB history to strike out seven batters, walk none, and allow no more than two hits in their Major League debut. He concluded his rookie season with 11 starts, pitching 62.1 innings, achieving a 5-3 record, a 2.89 ERA, and 56 strikeouts.

3.2.2. 2016

Severino began the 2016 season as part of the Yankees' starting rotation. On May 13, 2016, during a game against the Chicago White Sox, Severino exited due to an apparent injury after surrendering 7 runs in 2.2 innings. The following day, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right triceps inflammation. He was activated from the disabled list on May 30, 2016, and subsequently optioned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He was recalled on July 25 and primarily served as a reliever for the remainder of the season.

On September 26, Severino received the first ejection of his Major League career after hitting Justin Smoak with a pitch. This incident followed him hitting Josh Donaldson on the elbow, and Blue Jays starter J. A. Happ hitting Chase Headley with a pitch in the first inning of the same game. Severino finished the 2016 season with a 3-8 record and an ERA of 5.83. In his 11 starts, he recorded an 0-8 record with an 8.50 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. However, in his 11 relief appearances, he performed significantly better, going 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP.

3.2.3. 2017

Following Spring Training, Severino was named the Yankees' fourth starter. On April 13, 2017, he struck out a career-high 11 batters over seven innings in a 3-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays. In his subsequent start, Severino struck out 10 batters over a career-high eight innings in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. On April 26, he pitched seven shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox. On May 24, Severino delivered eight shutout innings against the Kansas City Royals. As of June 10, he held a 5-2 record with a 2.75 ERA. In a no-decision on June 27, he struck out a career-high 12 batters in seven innings against the White Sox, though the bullpen subsequently blew the lead, marking the sixth time this had occurred in Severino's starts that season. Despite his strong start to the season, Severino struggled towards the end of the first half, allowing 16 earned runs in four starts from June 15 to July 2, resulting in a 7.03 ERA during that period. He concluded his first half on a positive note, striking out 10 batters over seven innings while allowing three runs against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 8, marking his fourth start of the season with at least 10 strikeouts. Severino was selected to the American League All-Star team, joining teammates Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Starlin Castro, and Dellin Betances. In the first half of the season, he posted a 5-4 record with a 3.54 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 106.1 innings. His 10.50 strikeout per-9 ratio ranked among the top five in the American League.

Severino began the second half strongly, first matching Chris Sale by allowing only one run over seven innings in a pitcher's duel against the Red Sox. In his next start, he pitched seven shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners, followed by another seven innings with zero earned runs allowed against the Cincinnati Reds. As of July 27, Severino was tied with Max Scherzer for the second-most starts (8) of at least seven innings pitched with one earned run or less in the 2017 season, trailing only Clayton Kershaw's 11.

On August 17, 2017, Severino recorded his first Major League hit off Steven Matz against the New York Mets. He secured his 11th win of the season on August 23, holding the Detroit Tigers to one earned run over 6.2 innings with eight strikeouts. On September 3, against the Boston Red Sox, Severino recorded his 200th strikeout of the season, becoming the second-youngest Yankee in franchise history to achieve 200 strikeouts in a single season, behind Al Downing in 1964. In the second half of the season, he went 9-2 with a 2.28 ERA in 14 starts, allowing no more than one earned run in ten of those outings.

Severino concluded the 2017 season having thrown a career-high 193.1 innings in 31 starts, with a 14-6 record, 2.98 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, a .208 opponent batting average, 5.3 bWAR, 5.7 fWAR, and 230 strikeouts. His 230 strikeouts tied CC Sabathia for the third-most single-season strikeouts in Yankees history and marked the most strikeouts in a single season by a right-handed pitcher in Yankees history during the Modern Era (post-1920). He also became the first Yankee starter to qualify for the ERA title with a sub-3.00 ERA since David Cone and Andy Pettitte both did so in 1997, and the youngest Yankee starter to achieve this since Dave Righetti in 1981. His 16 starts with one run allowed or less led all major league pitchers; he was the first Yankee starter to have 16 such starts in a single season since Mike Mussina in 2001 and the youngest pitcher in the major leagues to reach this mark since Dwight Gooden in 1985. Additionally, he became the first American League pitcher with an ERA below 3.00 and 230 or more strikeouts in their age-23 season or younger since Roger Clemens in 1986. He led all major league pitchers with an average fastball velocity of 97.6 mph.

Severino was chosen to start the 2017 American League Wild Card Game. He was removed from the game after giving up three earned runs in one-third of an inning, which tied for the shortest outing by a Yankees pitcher in the postseason. He finished the 2017 postseason with a 1-1 record and a 5.68 ERA in 16 innings (4 starts) as the Yankees ultimately lost to the Houston Astros in seven games in the American League Championship Series. On November 6, Severino was named a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award. He finished third in the voting, behind Corey Kluber and Chris Sale, receiving 20 third-place votes, 6 fourth-place votes, and 1 fifth-place vote, accumulating a total of 73 points.

3.2.4. 2018

On March 17, 2018, the Yankees named Severino their Opening Day starter. He struck out seven batters and allowed only one hit in 5.2 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. On May 2, 2018, against the Houston Astros, Severino pitched a complete game for the first time in his major league career, shutting out the Astros 4-0. In this dominant performance, Severino allowed zero runs and struck out 10 batters.

From April 16 to June 4, Severino delivered ten consecutive quality starts, each lasting at least six innings with three or fewer earned runs allowed (in six of these starts, he allowed one or no earned runs). During this period, he compiled a 7-0 record with a 1.85 ERA over 68 innings, surrendering only 45 hits (including 4 home runs), striking out 82, walking just 14 batters, and limiting opponents to a .184 batting average. Severino earned his 10th win of the season on June 16 after holding the Rays to three hits and two walks in eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts. This achievement doubled his win count prior to the All-Star break in 2017 and made him the first Yankee pitcher to win 10 or more games before the All-Star break since Masahiro Tanaka in 2014. On July 1, Severino became the first Yankee since CC Sabathia in 2011 to win 13 games prior to the All-Star break after throwing 6.2 shutout innings to defeat the Red Sox.

With a 14-2 record and a 2.12 ERA, Severino was named to the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, marking his second consecutive selection. He finished the first half of the season with a 14-2 record and a 2.31 ERA in 20 starts, accumulating 144 strikeouts against 32 walks in 128.1 innings, along with a .209 opponent batting average and a 1.01 WHIP. Severino became the first Yankees pitcher to enter the All-Star break with 14 wins since Mel Stottlemyre in 1969, and only the fourth in franchise history to do so (following Lefty Gomez in 1934 and Whitey Ford in 1961, with Ford holding the club record for most pre-All-Star game wins with 16).

For the entire 2018 season, he finished with a 19-8 record and a 3.39 ERA. He recorded the highest line drive percentage allowed (25.9%) among all major league pitchers. For the second consecutive year, he led all major league pitchers with an average fastball velocity of 97.6 mph. Severino started the 2018 American League Wild Card Game.

3.2.5. 2019

On February 15, 2019, Severino signed a four-year contract extension with the Yankees worth 40.00 M USD. The deal also included a club option for a fifth season, valued at an additional 12.25 M USD.

However, the 2019 season was significantly impacted by injuries. On March 15, it was revealed that Severino was diagnosed with rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder, sidelining him for the entire month of April. On April 9, he received a further diagnosis of a Grade 2 lat strain, which ruled him out for an additional six weeks. He did not participate in any rehab assignments until September. Severino eventually made his season debut for the Yankees on September 17, 2019, against the Los Angeles Angels in New York, and made two more starts during the regular season.

3.2.6. 2020

On February 25, 2020, it was announced that Severino would undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, effectively ending his 2020 season. He officially underwent the surgery on February 27, during which a bone chip was also removed from his right elbow.

3.2.7. 2021

On February 22, 2021, Severino was placed on the 60-day injured list as he continued his recovery from Tommy John surgery. On June 12, 2021, Severino suffered a groin injury during a rehab start with the Hudson Valley Renegades, which sidelined him until August. After pitching two rehab starts in August, Severino experienced another setback, reporting that he was "not feeling right" during warmups before a scheduled game. On September 20, 2021, Severino was finally activated off the injured list, marking his return to the active roster after 706 days.

3.2.8. 2022

With Brett Gardner not re-signing for the 2022 season, Severino became the longest-tenured Yankee on the roster. He was placed on the 60-day injured list with a low-grade right lat strain. On October 4, during a game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field, Severino pitched seven no-hit innings before manager Aaron Boone pulled him from the game after 94 pitches. The potential combined no-hitter was ultimately broken up in the eighth inning when Josh Jung recorded a hit off Yankees reliever Miguel Castro.

3.2.9. 2023

The 2023 season proved to be a challenging one for Severino, marked by struggles and inconsistency. Across 19 games, including 18 starts, he registered a 4-8 record and a 6.65 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 89.1 innings pitched. On September 9, 2023, manager Aaron Boone announced that Severino's season was over after he suffered a high-grade oblique strain in the Yankees' loss against the Milwaukee Brewers the previous day. Following the conclusion of the season, he became a free agent.

4. Pitching Style

Luis Severino employs a three-quarters delivery in his pitching mechanics. His current repertoire includes four primary pitches: a four-seam fastball that averages 98 mph, a slider, a change-up, and, as of 2022, a cutter. His fastball has been clocked as high as 101 mph in 2017. In 2018, his average spin rate for sliders was ranked second in MLB at 2910 rpm, trailing only Garrett Richards (2919 rpm).

5. Career Statistics

6. Personal Life

Luis Severino hails from Sabana de la Mar in the Hato Mayor province of the Dominican Republic. He developed an early passion for baseball, growing up as a dedicated fan of the New York Yankees and particularly admiring fellow Dominican player Robinson Canó. Severino is married to Rosmaly, and together they have two children. Their daughter was born in July 2015, and their son, Luis Jr., was born on July 8, 2021.

7. Assessment and Impact

Luis Severino's career has been characterized by both extraordinary talent and significant challenges. Emerging as a top prospect, he quickly established himself as a dominant force in the New York Yankees rotation, earning multiple All-Star selections and Cy Young Award consideration. His ability to consistently throw a high-velocity fastball, complemented by an effective slider and change-up, made him one of the most formidable pitchers in the league during his peak.

However, Severino's career has also been defined by a series of debilitating injuries, including Tommy John surgery, rotator cuff inflammation, lat strains, and oblique strains. These setbacks have severely limited his playing time and consistency, particularly between 2019 and 2023. Despite these physical obstacles, Severino has repeatedly demonstrated remarkable resilience, enduring extensive rehabilitation processes to return to the mound. His ability to bounce back from major surgeries and injuries speaks to his dedication and determination. While his injury history has prevented him from sustaining prolonged stretches of elite performance, his moments of brilliance, such as his complete game shutouts and high strikeout numbers, underscore his potential and impact when healthy. His continued presence in Major League Baseball, culminating in a significant contract with the Oakland Athletics, highlights his enduring value and the respect he commands within the sport.