How Yankees’ Luis Severino got help from legendary Red Sox slugger

Yankees ace Luis Severino is a front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award in 2018. He leads the majors with 14 wins and is fifth in the AL with a 2.31 ERA. Turns out some of his success is due to Red Sox great David Ortiz.

Yankees ace Luis Severino leads the majors with 14 wins this season, making him an early favorite for the AL Cy Young Award. After all, Severino won 14 games all of last season and finished third in Cy Young voting.

NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller detailed in May how former Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez has helped Severino’s development:

Severino is maturing in front of our eyes. He has all the tools to become the best pitcher in the Big Leagues

— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) May 9, 2018

Martinez deserves at least a little of the credit for Severino’s development from struggling starter in 2016 to All-Star and Cy Young finalist in 2017.

“(Pedro) told me that if I change my mechanics a little bit, I’ll be more consistent in my strike zone,” Severino said last October. “That’s what I did.”

It turns out Martinez isn’t the only Red Sox great looking out for Severino.

The Bleacher Report explains how DH David Ortiz has also been a mentor to the 24-year-old right-hander:

“Let me tell you how this game goes,” Ortiz said. “People sometimes get mad about you helping a kid, but it doesn’t matter where he plays. No, no, no. Baseball is a fraternity. We are not worried about who is going to be who. We are more worried about getting the game better. I have recommended so many guys to Pedro; I couldn’t even tell you.”

…

“I see pitchers from the Dominican; you need to work on this–go to Pedro,” Ortiz said. “Severino was one of those guys. We saw the talent that he has. We don’t focus on him pitching for the Yankees. We saw a great Dominican kid with talent, and we helped. Just like Pedro had done it with tons of guys from so many different organizations.

“That’s Pedro, man. That’s who Pedro is. I am like that, too.”

…

“Big Papi … told me, ‘I can see what he’s doing. I can see the ball. He’s exposing the ball,'” Martinez said. “Big Papi said, ‘I want you to help this kid. I’ve gotten to know him, and he’s a good kid.'”

Ranking pitchers for Yankees with odds

Severino is fifth in the American League this season with a 2.31 ERA. He’s seventh in the league with 144 strikeouts and is on pace to throw a career-high 218.1 innings.

Severino represented the Yankees at the 2018 MLB All-Star Game and is scheduled to return to the mound Monday in Tampa Bay.

And for those keeping score at home, here’s a nugget: According to baseballreference.com, Ortiz was 3-for-7 lifetime against Severino. All three hits were home runs.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.