Can't We Just Clone Sevy?

Every time a pitcher other than Luis Severino pitches, I get anxious about our ability to hold off the bats of the opposing teams we face.  I get particularly nervous or quite frankly, down right angry when Sonny Gray is scheduled to pitch mostly because he is just so inconsistent and unable to recover when he derails.  But Luis Severino has been our ace.  The 24-year-old right hander has done a tremendous job at the helm for the Bombers in 2018, with an 8-1 record and a 2.31 ERA.  So, to keep everyone calm, I just wish we could just clone Sevy, groom another farm star or pick up someone just like him.

“Everybody wants to have strong starts, but when they give the ball to me, I just want to go deep. And especially if the guy before me, something happened for some reason and he didn’t get deep in his game,” Severino said according to ESPN. “I want to go over there and try to do my job and be more economic with my pitches and get deeper into the game to save my bullpen,”said Sevy prior to his start on Wednesday night.  He has been nothing short of remarkable in his performance this season and he appears to get better as each inning ticks by, particularly in games where the Yankees are close.

The other unique quality that Sevy has that many other veteran and rookie pitchers don’t have is poise and humble ambition.  He goes out there every outing to compete at his highest level.  He doesn’t know what mediocre means; it’s not in his makeup.  And because of his mindset and ability to take criticism, he continues to soar.  So not only do we need a guy who can pitch like Sevy, we need a guy who acts like him too.

“A starting pitching upgrade is obviously on the Yankees’ to-do list before the trade deadline, but the market is still just taking shape. Texas lefty Cole Hamels could be a possibility — for a lesser prospect return and if the Rangers eat a portion of his remaining $22.5 million salary, which could be tough for the Yankees to fit under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold,” reported the Daily News earlier this week.  Other potential prospects include San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and I am always holding out for a guy like Jacob deGrom.  It is unlikely that division rivals Tampa Bay Rays or Toronto Blue Jays give up Chris Archer or J.A. Happ respectively, but stranger things have happened.  Guys like Chance Adams and Clint Frazier would be good trade bait.

Clearly, we would feel a lot more comfortable and perhaps less stressed if Jordan Montgomery were back in the rotation.  He has a lot of the same qualities as Sevy.  His presence is surely missed in the clubhouse.

Bottom line, Sevy is a rare breed with both a balanced personality and tremendous talent.  If we could just be so lucky to groom another guy like him we would be set and our nerves would not be shot every time someone other than he pitches.  Please save my fingernails! Can’t we just clone Sevy?

God I wish we could…

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof