Luis Severino may not have been able to finish off his no-hit bid against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night, but there’s no doubt that his eight-inning, one-hit performance has opened some eyes in baseball once again. Naturally, there were questions about what the Mets could get out of him after he posted the worst numbers of his career in the Bronx in 2023, but his 2.31 ERA through his first six starts of the season has answered some of them.
In the absence of Kodai Senga, Severino has emerged as the ace the Mets needed.
“He was probably as good as I’ve seen,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday night.
Mendoza has known Severino since he was a minor leaguer in the Yankees’ system. He had a front-row seat to his rise and his fall. What he’s seeing now is a mix of the old Severino and the new.
The old Severino also threw a four-seam fastball, but last year, he struggled to command it and it didn’t have much break. His four-seam fastball may not have the same vertical movement it one had but it’s still a valuable pitch when he commands it, which he has been this season. Statcast ranks his 96 MPH fastball run value in the 99th percentile.
“When he locates well and he’s able to kind of just stay on his game plan and can execute, then he’s really tough to hit,” said outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
Severino is giving up fewer hard-hit balls and getting more ground-ball outs than in previous years. His ground ball rate of 55.1% is much higher than it was during his All-Star seasons in 2018 and 2019 (41.7%). The addition of his sweeper has helped with this, but Severino has also been using his sinker more this season and throwing his cutter to lefties.
The sweeper adds horizontal movement and has a ton of break.
His .247 BABIP indicates that he’s having some good luck to start the season, but the Mets will take all of the luck they can get. Though some of the pitching depth has been restored, it’s still tough to know what the Mets are going to be able to get from their starters on a nightly basis. A lot of walks create high pitch-counts and as a result, a lot of work for the bullpen.
Left-hander Sean Manaea has been good, but doesn’t often go deep into games. Left-hander Jose Quintana, once a model of consistency, has been inconsistent to start the season. Jose Butto had two stellar starts and two so-so starts. Adrian Houser is off to a disappointing start with an 0-3 record and a 8.37 ERA.
The Mets need someone to rely on every fifth day. Severino has been that pitcher. Should he continue pitching to this level, the Mets might once again have that 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation when Senga returns in early June.
Severino tipped his cap to the Citi Field crowd that applauded him as he came off the field Monday night. The 30-year-old Dominican used to regularly receive ovations like that in the Bronx, but last year he was jeered more than cheered. He understood the frustration of Yankees fans, having played his entire career in New York.
Monday night, Severino proved that he is still ovation-worthy.
“That’s the thing about New York, if you’re doing good, you’re gonna get something like that; if you’re doing bad, you’re going to get a lot of boos,” Severino said. “They are straight to you and I like that kind of thing about the fans. I know that every time I go out there and do my job it’s going to be like that.”