The Yankees' newest prospect has a familiar last name, and the franchise hopes he has the stuff to boast, too.
New York signed 19-year-old Rafael Severino, the brother of Luis Severino, on Monday, and the Yankees ace had nothing but praise for his younger brother.
"He's a great pitcher," Luis said, according to Newsday's Erik Boland, about Rafael, whose repertoire includes a high-80s fastball, a "great" slider, a changeup and potentially a sinker.
Yankees working as they signed Rafael Severino, Luis Severino's younger brother 💪🇩 pic.twitter.com/0C7s7ORISo
- Erika Fernandez (@CurlsAndSports) July 2, 2018
Luis said he felt Rafael was better than he was at 19 years old, according to YES Network's Meredith Marakovits, adding, "man, can he run."
Told that Rafael was better than Luis at 19 years old, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Newsday's Kenny DeJohn: "Yippee, sign me up for that."
Luis said he wasn't exactly sure how Rafael learned how to pitch, telling The Athletic's Marc Carig, "Not from me. Because at that age, I wasn't that smart."
Rafael will report to the Yankees' Dominican Academy, according to YES Network's Jack Curry.
