New York Yankees Luis Severino Feels Good After Working With Pedro Martinez

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino received help this offseason from Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez.

The New York Yankees had high expectations for Luis Severino in 2016. He came on strong in his first taste of the major leagues in 2015 and looked poised for a big year in 2016. But, he crumbled and 2016 turned out to be a lost season for Severino.

Severino struggled mightily as a starting pitcher in 2016. He started 11 games, going 0-8 with an 8.50 ERA in 47.2 innings. Opponents teed off on him, as they had a slash line of .337/.389/.587.

There were plenty of things that went wrong for Severino’s production to drop off as severely as it did. But, the biggest culprit for his struggles he believes was his mechanics and release point.

"“My fastball was all the way over here,” Severino told NJ Advance Media, showing wider-than-normal release point.“But my changeup was over here,” he said, his arm dropping even lower. “My slider was over here and then sometimes over here.”"

More from New York Yankees

Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothchild believes mechanics were a problem for Severino all season. He had poor fastball command Rothchild believes, in addition to a drop-off in confidence in his changeup and a slider that was too flat in which he had a tendency to overthrow.

Those are some of the things the Yankees wanted Severino to work on this season, and he said that he has worked on it while he was in the Dominican Republic.

"“We focused on mechanics,” Severino said. “That’s something Larry told me to do. My mechanics, my release point — trying to fix it all.”"

Severino received some help from an excellent teacher as well. While working in the Dominican Republic, Severino received help from Hall of Famer and former Yankees nemesis Pedro Martinez.

Severino has had a relationship with Martinez since 2015 and spent time with him this past season. He believes the help from Martinez and Rothchild has paid off in during his offseason workouts.

"“I’m doing very well,” he said. “I’ve been throwing my bullpen and my changeup is way better than last year. My fastball location is better, too. So hopefully in spring training it’ll be good.”"

In addition to his work on the mound, Severino put in the time to get his body right. General manager Brian Cashman said that the Yankees asked Severino to get more flexibility because he may have been too muscular last season. He did not disappoint, saying he lost 10 pounds.

Severino also knows that he will be a starter in 2017. If he does not make the starting rotation with the major league club out of Spring Training, he will go to Triple-A to continue working as a starter.

It is a move that will surprise some people, as Severino dominated out of the bullpen last season. In 11 appearances, Severino was unhittable. In 23.1 innings, Severino recorded a 0.39 ERA, holding opponents to a .105/.209/.158 slash line.

While the success was definitely enjoyed, Severino is happy to know he will be a starter going forward.

"“That’s great,” Severino said. “(Cashman) knows I’m going to be a good starter. I’m happy with that. I want to start. That’s my goal.”"

Next: New York Yankees: Setting Expectations For 2017 Season

It sounds like Severino has put in the necessary work to get back to the performance level he showed in 2015. The Yankees desperately need some production from the starting rotation if they want to make any noise in 2017. Severino seems poised to help in that department and get back on track as one of the best young players in the Yankees organization.

Home/New York Yankees