MLB Power Rankings: Top 25 players under 25

17. Luis Severino

Luis Severino made his MLB debut for the New York Yankees in 2015 to great hype. As a 21-year-old rookie, he went 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 11 starts. The right-hander appeared to be destined to become the first homegrown ace for the Yankees since the 1990s.

Instead, Severino fell flat on his face after being given the chance to start the 2016 season in the Yankees rotation. He ended the year in the bullpen and went 3-8 with a 5.83 ERA and 1.451 WHIP. Severino had to go completely back to the drawing board over the offseason.

Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez took an interest in his fellow countryman and worked with Severino on a changeup all winter. Severino has greatly improved the pitch, and is holding opponents to a .163 average when he throws it this year. He also has a dominant sliderthat accounts for most of his strikeouts.

Severino’s ERA bottomed out this year at 2.75, but he has been hit hard over his past six starts. Since shutting down the Baltimore Orioles on May 30, he is 1-5 with a 4.46 ERA to raise his season ERA to 3.52. The dominant stuff is still there, but Severino still needs more polish because it can be difficult to get by as a three-pitch pitcher in the big leagues.