ERA in the 8s before free agency…the downfall of a one-time Yankees ace: “Worst year of my life in baseball”

The downfall of right-hander Luis Severino, 29, 카지노 once a New York Yankees ace, has been dramatic. Coming off the first sub-8 ERA season of his career, his value is plummeting ahead of free agency.

Severino was the second pitcher out of the bullpen in the second inning of a road game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. After starter Ian Hamilton tossed a scoreless first inning in the opener, Severino was brought in as the “bulk guy” for the second inning. Yankees manager Aaron Boone used the second inning to save Severino, who had a 13.85 ERA as a starter and was particularly vulnerable in the first inning.

In the second, Severino loaded the bases with a double and a single before giving up a three-run homer to Oscar Gonzalez. In the third, he gave up a leadoff single to Luis Robert Jr. and then allowed back-to-back stolen bases and a double to Yoan Moncada. Severino, who took the mound in the fourth inning but was removed after giving up a straight-up single to leadoff Yasmani Grandal, suffered his seventh loss of the season (2-2) after allowing four runs on five hits (one homer) with one walk and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings. His ERA soared from 7.74 to 8.06.

The Yankees, who failed to save Severino, dropped to 2-9 on the day. They dropped to sixth place, 5.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the third American League (AL) wild card. With big-money free agent signing Carlos Rodon on the disabled list with a strained hamstring and perfect-game pitcher Domingo Herrmann out for the season for treatment for alcoholism, the Yankees are already short on starting pitching, and Severino is showing no signs of life.

“I’m having the worst year of my baseball career,” Severino said in frustration after the game, according to the New York Post, “I don’t know what more I can do, but I’m willing to do anything to be better than I am now. I like to pitch as a starter, but I’m not having a good year,” he said, adding that he would not insist on starting and would take on any role. Boone lamented that he had “a lot of bad pitches” and said, “We’ll discuss all options. We’ll discuss all options. We’ll find a way to make him right.”

Severino, a right-hander from the Dominican Republic, was a 100-mph fireballer. He made the jump to ace in his third year after making his major league debut in 2015. He went 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 31 games (193⅓ innings) in 2017 and 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA and 220 strikeouts in 32 games (191⅓ innings) in 2018, earning All-Star honours for the second straight year. His impact was such that he finished third in the AL Cy Young Award in 2017.

He signed a four-year, $52.5 million extension before the 2019 season, but has since been plagued by rotator cuff inflammation in his shoulder, elbow ligament reconstruction surgery and a vastus lateralis injury. He made just seven starts in three years from 2019-2021, but showed signs of rebounding last year with a 7-3 record and 3.18 ERA in 19 games (102 innings), and the Yankees exercised his $15 million team option for 2023.

However, he got off to a shaky start, landing on the disabled list with a strained latissimus dorsi muscle before the season. He’s been in the big leagues since May, but he’s having one of his worst years, going 2-7 with an 8.06 ERA in 14 games (63⅔ innings). It’s his highest ERA since 2016 (5.83). It is also more than double his career ERA (3.81).

Averaging less velocity on his four-seam fastball than he did in 2018 (97.6 mph to 96.4 mph), Severino’s command has broken down, leading to an increase in walks as well as strikeouts. His health has always been an issue, and now his performance has plummeted, costing him a big free agent contract after the season