MLB Power Rankings: Top 25 players under 25

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 17: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a fly ball to left field for an out in the fourth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays played on May 17, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

21 of 25

KANSAS CITY, MO – MAY 19: New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) in the first inning of an MLB game between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals on May 19, 2018 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. Luis Severino

The New York Mets get more hype for the arms at the top of their starting rotation, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, but across the Big Apple, the Yankees have a young stud all their own in Luis Severino. It has been a while since the Yanks successfully developed a starting pitcher of their own, and they nearly saw Severino bust in 2016. Regardless of the hiccups along the way in his development, the 24-year-old right-hander has blossomed into an ace.

Severino leads the major leagues with seven wins in the early going of 2018 and has allowed only two home runs in his first 65 innings to lead the AL in home runs per nine. On the year, he is 7-1 with a 2.35 ERA and has struck out 10.5 per nine against only 2.2 walks per nine.

Last season, Severino emerged as the best pitcher on the Yankees after a lost year in 2016. He went 14-6 with a 2.93 ERA across nearly 200 innings in his first full MLB season, made the All-Star Game and finished third in the Cy Young vote. Severino also bounced back to win a playoff game after being bombed for three runs and two home runs in 0.1 innings in the AL Wild Card Game.

The 24-year-old is a pure three-pitch pitcher, which is rare for a starter. His fastball sits over 97 mph and he features a devastating slider and changeup that was taught to him by Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. As good as he has been the last two seasons, Severino’s stock could actually still be climbing.

Home/MLB