Pedro Severino De León (born July 20, 1993) is a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

in the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

organization. He previously played in MLB for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

and

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Professional career

Washington Nationals

Severino began playing baseball in the Dominican Republic as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

, and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. In 2009, at the age of 15, his team needed a

, so a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

asked Severino to fill in. The coach noticed Severino's potential at catcher when he threw out a baserunner attempting to steal second base, and asked him to keep catching. He considered quitting, but his father encouraged him to try catching. In 2010, the Nationals signed Severino for a $55,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

as a catcher. He debuted in 2011 for the

Gulf Coast Nationals The Florida Complex League Nationals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Washington Nationals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The ...

of the Rookie-level

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lo ...

(GCL), where he struggled to gain the trust of his pitchers due to his youth and inability to understand English. He began to learn English, and worked on his catching development. After repeating the GCL in 2012, Severino played for the

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home g ...

of the Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

(SAL) in 2013, where he was the team's youngest player. He batted .241, but threw out 40% of basestealers, and was named a SAL all-star. In 2014, Severino played for the

Potomac Nationals The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were located in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to Fr ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, where the average player was three years older than him. After the season, the Nationals assigned Severino to the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

. In 2015, Severino played for the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Eastern League. The Nationals promoted him to the major leagues on September 1, 2015. He made his major league debut on September 20, hitting a double against the outfield wall off

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

reliever Jose Urena in his first plate appearance and coming around to score. Severino began the 2016 season as the primary catcher for the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

in the Class AAA

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. He was called up to the majors in April 2016 for a brief stint after

Wilson Ramos Wilson Abraham Ramos Campos (born August 10, 1987), nicknamed "The Buffalo", is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals ...

was placed on the bereavement list and again in July after

Jose Lobaton Jose is the English language, English transliteration of the Hebrew language, Hebrew and Aramaic language, Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods ...

was sent to the disabled list with an injury. He hit his first major league home run while pinch-hitting at

Coors Field Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995, the park is located in Denver's Lower Downtown neighborhood, two blocks from Union Station. The sta ...

on August 17 against

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

reliever

Matt Carasiti Matthew Joseph Carasiti (born July 23, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth round as the 194th pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, a ...

. He finished his rookie season with a .321/.441/.607 batting line across 16 major league games. In 2017 for the Nationals, Severino appeared in 17 games, but struggled to a batting line of 172/.226/.207. He fared better with the Low-A

Auburn Doubledays The Auburn Doubledays are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) that is located in Auburn, New York. From 1958 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) ...

and Triple-A Syracuse, batting a combined .248/.297/.342 with five home runs and 29

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs) between the two teams. In 2018, Severino played in 70 games for Washington, slashing .269/.294/.462 with career-highs in home runs (2) and RBIs (15). Severino was designated for assignment by Washington on March 21, 2019.

Baltimore Orioles

Severino was claimed off waivers by the

on March 23, 2019. He became the team's starting catcher when

Jesús Sucre Jesús Marcelo Sucre Medina (born April 30, 1988) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, and Baltimore Orioles. Career Sea ...

was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on April 28, 2019. He set a career high with three home runs in a game in a 12–11 win over the Texas Rangers at

Globe Life Park in Arlington Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Texa ...

on June 4, 2019. In 2020 for the Orioles, Severino slashed .250/.322/.388 with 5 home runs and 21 RBIs. He had the slowest home run trot of all major league players, at 28 seconds. Severino caught John Means'

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

on May 5, 2021. The only baserunner was on a dropped third strike by Pedro, the first time a perfect game has been lost in such a way. Severino played in 113 games for the Orioles in 2021, hitting .248 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs. On November 3, 2021, the Orioles outrighted Severino to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

. However, he rejected this, making him a free agent.

Milwaukee Brewers

On November 21, 2021, the

signed Severino to a one-year contract for $1.9 million. On April 4, 2022, Severino was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for

Clomiphene Clomifene, also known as clomiphene, is a medication used to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate, including those with polycystic ovary syndrome. Use results in a greater chance of twins. It is taken by mouth once a day, with a course ...

, which was a violation of MLB's performance-enhancing drugs policy. He returned to the Brewers on July 3. Severino batted 4-for-18 (.222) in eight games before he was designated for assignment by the Brewers on August 3.

San Diego Padres

On December 15, 2022, Severino signed a minor league deal with the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Severino, Pedro 1993 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Baltimore Orioles players Biloxi Shuckers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Gulf Coast Nationals players Hagerstown Suns players Harrisburg Senators players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Mesa Solar Sox players Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players People from Bonao Potomac Nationals players Syracuse Chiefs players Washington Nationals players