The loud pop of the catcher’s mitt belies the nice and easy delivery of Luis Severino. Severino makes 98-99 mph fastballs look effortless even in the seventh or eighth inning. Matched with a diving 90 mph slider and much improved but still, a work-in-progress changeup, Severino’s arsenal is amongst the best in baseball. But where exactly does the 24-year-old ace rank amongst the game’s elite pitchers? Is he the best pitcher in baseball?
Make no mistake, Severino is the Yankees’ ace. In 48 starts since the beginning of the 2017 season, the Dominican flamethrower is 26-8 with a 2.