PRESSURE FALLS ON CASHMAN IF SEVERINO FAILS

I read a headline that I disagree with 100%.  Lots of Pressure on Luis Severino.  The headline is from a Fansided piece that reads:

"Being a top prospect usually comes with pressure, but in New York, that pressure is always intensified. Many fans were expecting the Yankees to trade for an ace, but when the trade deadline came and went, no deal was done.

Brian Cashman and the Yankees stayed true to their word that they wouldn't be trading any of their top prospects. Now, added pressure will be on them to perform at the major league level."

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Sure, say the pressure is on these kids all you want, but the reality is, if the Yankees, who have touted these "superstar" prospects as the next big thing, send these kids out there and the kids blow it... the pressure won't be on them.  No, no... pressure will build against Yankee brass.  The reason? Overhype.  Overhype by the Yankees to the media and to the fans.  These players go out there every day and do their job, on the farm, in hopes of making it to the Bigs and staying there.  But it's the Yankee Machine that has famously overhyped and sometimes destroyed these players just by a few phone calls.

(In Photo: A young Phil Hughes)

Joba Chamberlain. Phil Hughes is a good one. Austin Jackson was supposed to be the next "big" centerfielder for the New York Yankees, only to be traded. Ian Kennedy. Nick Johnson. There are others, but you get the point. We fans are many times sold a bill of goods.  Fans don't want to see these kids flop and the kids don't want to flop, but Yankee fans are also smart enough to realize that the Yankees many times tout kids as "truly great" over and over again, only to have fans disappointed if these prospect don't live up to the hype.  And then, fans grow impatient and the Yankees end up flipping them for a veteran, or letting them die in the minor leagues, because "Things just didn't work out."   I've never liked the way they handled it.  But fans are smart, and by fans, I mean you guys.  Yankee brass is on your radar and you'll be ready to crucify Cashman, especially after we did absolutely nothing but trading for Dustin Ackley this trade deadline and especially if Severino shits the bed tomorrow.  You see what I mean?

Enter young Severino.  Look, there's no question he could turn into an ultimate superstar in New York and I'm rooting for it. Lord knows he can be, but I've been reading alot about this guy, and 1 thing that I've found, and it's a brilliant nugget that not many are reporting on, is that maybe Severino is just a bullpen guy, and not a starter at all.  The reason? Too much arms and not enough legs. Seriously. This is fascinating to me...

Keith Law from ESPN who suggests that because of Severino's violent delivery, he could end up in the bullpen for the Yankees. In short, that kind of delivery isn't designed to be a 15 year career starter thing.  Then of course there is Baseball Prospectus' Christopher Crawford, who is great at this stuff:

"There's no question that Severino has the stuff to pitch every fifth day, but there are some reasons to be concerned about the long-term profile. In addition to the less-than-ideal size, Severino has a delivery that is extremely arm-heavy; relying on his impressive arm strength to produce the big velocity and deception. It shouldn't hurt him in the short-term, but because of the stress this can put on the arm, it could have long-term ramifications."

These are important things that as a Yankee fan you need to think about.  Not just because we're excited about Severino, but about how the Yankees are exposing him to the media and the fans as being the next big thing!  Well, maybe he'll only be the next big thing for a few years... then what?

Should we be worried? I say no, not yet at least. But I will caution whether or not this guy is a "superstar" prospect.  Sure, the books say he is, the Yankees say he is, but we don't know if he is, because he hasn't done anything in the Bigs yet.

So, I suggest caution.  I also suggest that if this turns out to be a total disaster, we remember that the pressure shouldn't lean Severino's way at all.  He's just a pitcher trying to get a nut in the Bigs with the New York Yankees.  No, if this turns out to be a flop, we can look Cashman and Co. square in the eyes and wonder once again... what is happening on the farm?

Look, let's hope we are reading piece in the BYB archive in 5 years after 4, 20 win seasons for Severino and laugh.  I would rather the Yankees were right about this, and the critics were wrong... that would make me very ,very happy.

Anyway, an interesting nugget I had to share.

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