Saturday, September 12, 2015

Luis Severino: should he be shut down?

Luis Severino is probably the most valuable young player in the Yankee organization.  He is a right handed starting pitcher.  In addition to his obvious talent Severino will be paid not much more than the minimum major league salary (about $500,000) for the next three years.  For perspective, for the 2015 season the Mets are paying 26 year old Matt Harvey $614,125.  In 2016 Harvey will reach his fourth season and be eligible for salary arbitration and a lot more money.
Photo of Luis Severino
So the Yankees have conflicting corporate interests in Severino:
1. Risk his young arm in pursuit of a tournament spot, which increasingly looks like no more than the fool's gold of the do-or-die wild card game.
2. Play it safe and shut down Severino and preserve his value for at least three very cost efficient seasons.

By shutting down Severino, I mean right now.  His ill fated performance against Toronto in last night's loss may have provided the Steinbrenner Kids and their decision make Brian Cashman both an excuse and a reason to not have Severino pitch any more this season.

Severino was born Feb. 20, 1994, so he is 21 years old.  Here are his professional innings by age:
18  64
19  44
20  113
21  137, including last night

Even if Severino pitches a couple more games and gets close to 150 innings, there is no way the Yankees should have Severino continue to pitch in the tournament.

So, Yankee fans, are you more responsible than Met fans were with Harvey?  Are you willing to forgo the wild card game in exchange for better days ahead?

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