SEVY TIPS THE SCALES
Luis vows to turn things around by solving mystery of telegraphed pitches
TAMPA — Luis Severino has to work on his tipping. The Yankees right-hander said Monday that he is looking at videos and is willing to make changes if he was tipping his pitches last season, as many believe to be true.
“I am still not sure,” Severino said about tipping pitches. “I don’t know who it was, but someone sent me a video of (Red Sox center fielder) Jackie Bradley (Jr.) talking about fastball or stuff like that. I am looking forward to see and if I see something I will definitely change it.”
The video is from the second inning of Game 3 of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium last October. With Brock Holt at bat, the camera shows Bradley calling “fastball” behind his glove just before Severino unleashed a 98-mile an hour fastball.
Before that, Severino had thrown five straight sliders in an at-bat to Steve Pearce and then did not throw another slider that night. That is sometimes a sign that a team is aware their pitcher is tipping.
Severino said he looked at tape this winter. “I didn’t find nothing that consistent,” Severino said. “I will look with the Yankees and see what I
can do.”
Severino also changed his workouts this offseason, looking for ways to eliminate the dramatic second-half slump he went through. In his first 18 starts, he pitched 118.1 innings to a 1.98 ERA. He had a .195 batting average against, allowed just six home runs and averaged almost 10 strikeouts a game.
In an 11-start stretch at the end of the season, Severino pitched just 55.1 innings, going 4-5 with a 6.83 ERA with a surprising .323 batting average against. He allowed 13 homers in that span.
“It was tough, it was tough,” Severino said. “Like you said, I had a great first half and then all that happened. I know it’s just struggle for a little bit. I know the pitcher I am, I know I can come back. I know I can pitch well again.”
Besides possibly tipping his pitches, Severino felt that there was some fatigue in the second half.
“Of course I changed a little bit my workout, I think I maybe get a little bit tired toward the end,” Severino said. “I worked on my mechanics, maybe I am not sure. Maybe I was tipping some pitches or not, I will make sure that this year, none of that will happen.”
The Yankees need Severino to be a consistent ace in 2019. He anchors a rotation that is improved, but not deep.
After being spurned by lefty Patrick Corbin, who signed with the Nationals, Brian Cashman picked up James Paxton in a trade with the Mariners. The Yankee GM also brought back J.A. Happ, for whom he had traded last summer. Cashman also re-signed veteran lefty CC Sabathia and made the rotation stronger just by being able to move Sonny Gray.
“I am excited about it. We have a great rotation,” Severino said. “We have Paxton, going to be great for us. CC is back. He is like a mentor for me and the guys. Any questions I have or we have, he is there to answer for us. I am really excited to be back with those guys.”
It looks like a solid rotation on paper, but in real life, there are red flags.
Paxton brings a nice, middle-of-therotation 3.42 ERA and 617 strikeouts in 582.1 career innings pitched, but also a concern about his injury history. He has never pitched more than 161 innings in a season.
Sabathia, who will turn 39 this summer, has a history of arthritis in his right knee and is coming off surgery to help remove blockages from his arteries.
There are still good starting pitchers available on the free-agent market with Dallas Keuchel, Clay Buchholz and Gio Gonzalez still unsigned. Maybe, if as Hal Steinbrenner said last week the Yankees might not be done reshaping the roster, they could bring in some insurance.
If not, they have the depth in the bullpen.
With Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino and Chad Green back there, the Yankees won’t have to worry about their starters going too deep.
“It is,” Severino said of the Yankees bullpen being exciting. “With Ottavino and Danny Farquhar (who is signed to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite), that bullpen is going to be really good. It’s going to be a fun year for us overall.”