Yankees sign Luis Severino’s brother: What you need to know

The Yankees signed Luis Severino’s 19-year-old brother, Rafael, on Monday.

NEW YORK — The Yankees did pretty well with one member of the Severino family.

Why not take a shot on another?

They signed Luis Severino‘s 19-year-old brother, Rafael Severino, on Monday. Like his brother, he’s a right-handed pitcher. The Yankees hope he takes a similar path to Severino, who’s become maybe the best young pitcher in the majors.

Here’s what you need to know:

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A reminder: Luis Severino, 24, leads the league in wins (13), ERA (1.98) and complete-game shutouts (1). Last year, he made his first All-Star Game and finished third in the Cy Young vote. Severino was a highly touted prospect, signing a $225,000 bonus at age 17 and flying through the Yankees’ minor leagues to debut in 2015 at 21 years old.

Rafael Severino’s scouting report: Luis Severino said his brother doesn’t possess his 100-mph fastball but may be a more complete pitcher than he was at the same age. Rafael Severino tops out at 89 mph and throws a “great” slider — just like his brother. He also throws a changeup. “I wasn’t that smart” at age 19, Luis Severino said. Luis Severino also praised his brother’s conditioning. “He can run for one hour. He doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t have a lot of strength in his arm … but when he gets stronger, he’s going to throw hard.”

How Rafael Severino found out: Luis Severino broke the news to him in a phone call. “He was flipping out,” the older brother said. “He didn’t believe it.”

More Severinos on the way? Nope. Luis Severino said he has an older brother and and older sister. The older brother played baseball but wasn’t good enough to go pro.

What about Luis Severino at age 19? When Luis Severino was his younger brother’s age, He started the year in the Gulf Coast League before finishing with Low-A Charleston, going 1-1 with a 4.01 ERA in four starts. He struck out 21 and walked four in 17 2/3 innings.

What manager Aaron Boone said: “Yippie. Sign me up for that. I just kind of got that news a little bit earlier. I’m actually looking forward to talking to Sevy about it and definitely good to add another Severino to the mix.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.