Luis Severino

Luis Severino, known as “Sevy”, is a Dominican-born professional baseball pitcher. Born on February 20, 1994, Severino showcases his pitching skills on the Major League Baseball (MLB) field for the New York Mets. Previously, he lent his talent to the New York Yankees, a significant part of his early career. This is the tale of Severino’s rise in the baseball realm, marked by professional growth, significant awards, and pronounced injuries.

Severino signed with the New York Yankees on December 26, 2011, as an international free agent. His signing entailed a bonus of $225,000. Severino originally intended to sign with the Colorado Rockies. However, a Yankees scout matched their offer, and Severino chose to pitch for the team he had rooted for since childhood. At the time of his signing, his pitching capabilities extended to throwing his fastball at speeds of 91 miles per hour.

Throughout 2011, Severino debuted in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) for the Yankee’s team- notching a 4-2 win-loss record along with a 1.68 earned runs average, and 45 strikeouts spanning over 64 1/3 innings. His career trajectory continued to rise as he then advanced to the Charleston River Dogs of the class A South Atlantic League in 2013, maintaining an impressive record throughout the season.

By 2014, Baseball America took note of Severino’s potential, ranking him as the ninth-best pitching prospect for the Yankees. The seasons commenced with Severino in Charleston, but his skills were recognized, and he was promoted to the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League.

In 2015, with continuous progress and increased scrutiny by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, Severino started the season with Trenton. His impressive performance led to a promotion to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. However, the 2015 postseason drove the Yankees to make Severino untradeable even amidst need for new players.

With a late-July injury to Michael Pineda, Severino found his golden ticket to the major leagues. Despite his career-high of 113 innings pitched in 2014, the management announced that Severino would have no limitations on how many innings he throws.

Severino made his major league debut for the Yankees in August 2015. Despite the pressure of the significant debut, his performance proved noteworthy. With his rookie season seeing him start 11 games, Severino successfully pitched 62 1/3 innings with a 5-3 record, a 2.89 earned run average, and 56 strikeouts. His budding career faced a slight hiccup in 2016, where he struggled with his performance, ending the season with a 3-8 record, a significantly inflated earned runs average of 5.83, and an innings pitch of 71.

However, Severino bounced back in the 2017 season, dominating the sports headlines and earning himself a spot on the American League All-Star team. He wrapped up the year with an impressive 14-6 record, 193 1/3 innings pitched, a 2.98 ERA along with 230 strikeouts that tied him with CC Sabathia for the third-most single-season strikeouts in Yankees history. He was also the youngest Yankee starter with a sub-3.00 ERA since David Cone and Andy Pettitte did so in 1997.

His upward trajectory continued into 2018, where he was named the Opening Day starter for the Yankees. As of 2018, Severino’s career in MLB has been marked by a string of memorable moments, demonstrating his formidable pitching prowess. His impressive showcase of skills led to him being named an All-Star again that year.

Unfortunately, injuries plagued Severino in the 2019 season, with him missing out on most of the year, only to return in the latter part. His health didn’t hold up in the subsequent season either, causing him to sit out the entirety of 2020. He missed out on most of the 2021 season as well due to similar health problems.

Severino saw a shift in his professional path post the 2023 season when he signed with the New York Mets. Despite the change in teams and the setbacks faced due to injuries, Severino has managed to leave an impressible mark on the professional baseball scene. His journey from an international free agent to an All-Star MLB pitcher is a testament to his resilience and dedication to his sport. Whether Severino will maintain his pace or reach even greater heights in the future remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – he has already entrenched himself as one of the most formidable pitchers in the MLB.