Report: Yankees Promote Phenom Pitching Prospect Severino To Triple-A
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- His pitching style has drawn comparisons to a young Pedro Martinez. Now the world will see what Luis Severino can do at the last stop before "the show."
The Yankees reportedly promoted their top prospect to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, continuing the 21-year-old right-hander's quick rise through the organization.
Severino had been 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA in eight starts for Double-A Trenton this season, and while those numbers aren't spectacular, the following are awfully impressive: 48 strikeouts, a 1.11 WHIP and a .227 average against in 38 innings.
The same can be said for Severino's short minor league career. Since being signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, he is 16-11 with a 2.39 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .218 average against and 273 strikeouts in 56 appearances, including 54 starts, spanning 259 2/3 innings.
"(Severino) challenges people. He's not overwhelmed by the situation," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said back during spring training. "I mean, obviously you can see the stuff is there. It's easy to get excited about that, but the approach is really good, too."
Known for his control and a fastball that spends a lot of time in the upper 90s, Severino struck out nine over five innings and got the win in Trenton's 9-3 victory over Akron on Tuesday.
Prior to the Yankees' 4-2 win over Kansas City on Wednesday, Girardi was asked about the plethora of solid prospects in the minors, specifically Severino, outfielder Aaron Judge and second baseman Rob Refsnyder, who are ranked Nos. 1, 2 and 5, respectively, in the Yankees' system by MLB.com.
"I was impressed by all these kids," Girardi said, referring to the long looks each got back in February and March. "I think I was probably more impressed with the way they went about their business.
"Obviously they played well, but the way they went about their business and the way that they held each other accountable and pulled for each other and pushed each other, you don't always see that," he added.
