Atahualpa Severino

Baseball and history are uncanny bedfellows in language, traditions, and mythology. The ties that bind. Sixteenth-century Peru and the modern Dominican Republic.

Atahualpa (ca. 1502-1533) was the last indigenous Inca emperor of Peru, whose capture and execution by Francisco Pizarro enabled the Spanish conquistadores to secure the Inca lands for the Spanish crown.1 Vicente Valverde, a Dominican friar sent by the king to accompany Pizarro’s expedition, pleaded with Atahualpa to convert to Catholicism and accept Spanish King Charles V as the Inca’s sovereign ruler. He showed Atahualpa a Bible and asked him to read from the prayer book of his people. Atahualpa was unimpressed, throwing the sacred tome to the ground and shouting to his troops to prepare for battle.2 Atahualpa was captured by the Spaniards, convicted of plotting against Pizarro, and executed by garrote on July 15, 1533. The Inca had no written language. So is the legend.3

Baseball’s Atahualpa Severino was a career minor leaguer from the Dominican Republic, a left-hander who pitched in relief in six major-league games in an all-too-brief September 2011 call-up with the Washington Nationals. There is no legend around the achievements of baseball’s Atahualpa, just perhaps individual memories. He was a lefty-throwing 5-foot-9 170-pounder with bright oval eyes. (With time and age, the weight increased to 220.)4 His major-league career ledger stood out for its brevity. Severino evolved as one of the countless who had the dream, and succeeded early in his career in the minors to earn a brief visit to the majors. The taste of success devolved into bouncing around the minor-league landscape in the United States and Mexico.

Severino was born on November 6, 1984, in Cotuí (population 80,000), located in the fertile La Vega Real region on the Yuna River, where the November weather is a steady 85 to 90 degrees, endemic to tropical rain-forest climes. Cotuí is one of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere, founded in 1505. The Spanish colonists named it after the existing Taíno settlement. In the Inca language, the name Atahualpa means “bird of fortune.”

Like almost all Dominicans, Cotuíans played baseball and several made it to the major leagues.5 Severino was like any typical young Dominican boy. He had an affinity and talent for tossing the ball. He played the traditional street game of vitilla, the popular variation of stickball that evolved in the Dominican Republic. The rules are simple. A broomstick is a necessity. Two makeshift bases and a manhole cover as home plate with two or three fielders. A ball is hard to find. A bottle cap called “la vitilla” is used as the “ball.” “Vitilla is good training in the Dominican, but it’s different than baseball,” Rafael Devers  said.6 The cap is hard to see and hit. Wilmer Difo said vitilla helped his development: “The vitilla isn’t a ball,” he said. “It moves many ways. It’s hard to hit. To hit it, you really have to see well.”7 Cotuían life meant working in the bauxite and nickel mines, in the plantain, pineapple, or rice fields or in the tourist trade. If you showed talent and skill, baseball was a way out. Severino excelled and was spotted by local scouts.

Severino pitched in the minor leagues for the Expos/Nationals, Royals, Pirates, Braves, and Angels organizations from 2004 through 2015 and in Mexico and the Dominican Republic into the 2019 season. He was briefly called up twice by Washington. He did not appear in a game during a brief stay in 2010 and one in 2011. He was recalled for a third and final time from Syracuse on September 6, 2011. From the 6th through the 26th, Severino appeared in relief in six games. His major-league career totaled 4⅔ innings of pitching with a 3.86 ERA and seven strikeouts. And a career record of 1-0.

Back to beginnings. On February 13, 2004, the recently-turned 19-year-old Severino attended a tryout camp and was signed by Montreal Expos scouts Ismael Cruz and Dana Brown as an international free agent for a $6,000 bonus.8 He became part of an organization that was in limbo with limited capital to spend on players and by 2005 relocated to Washington. He made his pro baseball debut with the Dominican Summer League Expos in the summer of 2004.9 Severino suffered an injury that resulted in Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on September 8, performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Wiemi Douoguih.10 He missed the 2005 season as he rehabbed. 

The Nationals kept Severino with their Dominican Summer League affiliate for the 2006 season. He dominated the league with a 0.99 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 45⅓ innings. Hitters batted a meager .121 against Severino and he averaged 15.7 strikeouts per nine innings. After three quality starts in the DSL to start the 2007 campaign, the Nationals promoted Severino to the rookie league Gulf Coast Nationals in 2007. In 13 games and five starts, he pitched well, with hitters batting a minuscule .208 against him.

Severino split the 2008 season first with the low Class-A Potomac Nationals (4-2), and then with the high Class-A Hagerstown Suns (0-4). He allowed four homers in 72 innings with a 4.00 ERA.11 The Nationals were enamored with Severino’s 95 MPH velocity with a propensity to be a groundball pitcher and a potential profile as a LOOGY specialist – a situational reliever who can get lefties out.12 But as Severino went up the organizational ladder, the Nationals were increasingly troubled by his control.

A Baseball America 2009 scouting report on Severino said he threw at 89-94 MPH with a five-seam and two-seam fastballs with a groundball rate of around 50 percent. Improvement continued in 2009. He started the season with Potomac, going 4-0 with a 2.54 ERA in 29 games and earned a promotion to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, where he was 6-0 in 15 games in relief with a 2.78 ERA. For the season, Severino had a career-high 15 saves. After the 2009 season the Nationals added Severino, fellow Dominican Juan Jaime, and Aaron Thompson to their 40-man roster to prevent them from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft.13 Severino remained on the 40-man roster through August 6, 2012.

Coming into the 2010 season at the age of 25, Severino was projected as a sleeper major-league prospect. This expectation was evident when he was selected as one of the Nationals’ top prospects whom the team hoped would pitch in the majors in 2010. He attended the Nationals’ Rookie Career Development Program along with pitchers Drew Storen and Thompson and second baseman Danny Espinosa. (The team’s top pitching prospect, Stephen Strasburg, was excused from attending because he had just got married.14) Severino was reassigned to Triple-A Syracuse in spring training. According to the Washington Post, “several members of the Washington’s front office believe he can contribute out of the Nationals’ bullpen this season.”15

Severino was 4-2 at Syracuse with one save and a 3.55 ERA in 40 games when the call came from the Nationals on July 29, 2010. He was called up when Nationals closer Matt Capps was traded to Minnesota and pitcher Yuniesky Maya was optioned to Syracuse. Severino put on a uniform but did not get into a game, spending three days in the big leagues before being sent back to Syracuse in favor of outfielder Justin Maxwell. Completing the season in Syracuse, he tied Jason Bergmann for the team lead with six relief wins and led the team with 54 appearances. Hitters batted .212 against him, and Severino allowed only one homer when facing left-handed batters.

By the 2011 season, Nationals scouts’ opinions of Severino evolved: They now saw him as a middle-inning relief pitcher who could help take some of the workload off the rest of the bullpen. In its end-of-2010 analysis of the Nationals, Baseball Prospectus saw the side-arming Severino as a “sleeper” major-league prospect. However, as he progressed through the system, Severino had mounting control problems. There were concerning questions as “his peripherals failed to impress and his splits show he won’t be a LOOGY” as the Nationals envisioned.16 The profile on Severino showed an 89-95-MPH fastball and inconsistent control.

Not making the team in spring training, Severino started the 2011 season with Syracuse, pitching in 35 games in the role of a situational lefty. When called up in September, he had a 4.50 ERA with 38 strikeouts, averaging 10.68 K’s per 9 innings; 28 of his game appearances with the Chiefs were scoreless. However, he had 23 walks in 32 innings of pitching.

In his physical appearance, Severino was viewed as “a short guy with a big but erratic arm.”17 In his scouting analysis of Severino for his FanSided blog, Aaron Somers described Severino with a touch of realism: “While he’s just 5’9”, Severino operates with a very high arm slot that gives his fastball explosive late life up in the zone. He works at 91-96 mph, and constantly is trying to climb the ladder with the pitch”18 Somers concluded that Severino was a pitcher with a good fastball, but that because of his habit of missing his target and throwing outside the strike zone, “[O]nly 34.9% of his pitches were in the zone, one of the lowest rates in baseball, as he’s constantly throwing the fastball too high and the slider too far outside. … Imagine Aroldis Chapman’s 2011 with slightly less velocity, and slightly fewer strikeouts and walks, in fewer innings – that’s what Severino’s upside is. He could be a nice asset if put in situations he can succeed in.”19

The Nationals recalled Severino on July 30, 2011. He did not get into a game, and was optioned back to Syracuse on August 2. On September 6, he was brought back as a September call-up. He wore uniform number 59. His base salary was $414,000. When Severino was recalled, manager Davey Johnson planned to use him in the middle relief role. He made his major-league debut that evening. From his six appearances, Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell saw Severino as part of the 2012 bullpen mix intrigued with his 95 mph fastball and situational possibilities.20

Severino’s September 2011 voyage in the major leagues:

September 6, vs. Los Angeles Dodgers:

Severino made his major-league debut at Nationals Park. He was one of five Nationals who made their major-league debut that season. The game was highlighted by Stephen Strasburg’s return from Tommy John surgery, making his first start in 382 days, and pitching five scoreless innings. Severino came into the game in the seventh inning and faced one batter, James Loney, with two outs and Dee Strange-Gordon on first via a single. On a 1-and-1 count, Gordon stole second. Severino struck out Loney swinging on a 3-and-2 count. Two other Nationals made their debut as well: Corey Brown and Stephen Lombardozzi.

September 10, vs. Houston Astros:

With the score 8-3 in visiting Houston’s favor, Severino entered in the top of the eighth inning. The second and fourth batters he faced, Jason Michaels and Jason Bourgeois, each singled. Severino struck out Carlos Corporán and Jordan Schafer swinging. He induced J.D. Martinez to pop out to Ian Desmond at shortstop to end the rally. The Astros won 9-3.

September 13, vs. New York Mets:

With one out and a Mets runner on first, Severino replaced Craig Stammen in the seventh and faced one batter, Lucas Duda, in a lefty/lefty matchup. Duda fouled out to first. Washington won, 3-2.

September 21, vs. Philadelphia Phillies:

With Nationals ahead 7-3, Severino was summoned to start the bottom of the eighth. He faced three batters and gave up the first runs charged to his record. He walked Chase Utley, then John Mayberry hit a home run. Raúl Ibañez struck out swinging. Severino was then pulled in favor of Coffey. The Nationals won 7-5.

September 23, vs. Atlanta Braves:

On September 23 at home, Severino came into the game in the fifth after Collin Balester, in relief of Strasburg, gave up one run and left two men in scoring position to widen the Atlanta lead to 4-1. Severino faced Brian McCann. On a full count, Severino allowed the two inherited runners to score when McCann doubled to deep right-center for a 6-1 Braves lead. Severino then induced Freddie Freeman to ground out to second and struck out Jack Wilson swinging. He also pitched the sixth inning, facing three batters yielding only a single to Jason Heyward, who was doubled up on a Tim Hudson weak groundball. At 1⅔ innings, it was longest outing of Severino’s major-league career. The Braves won 7-4.

September 26, vs. Florida Marlins:

Playing under wet conditions in Miami and with Florida ahead 4-3, Severino entered the game in the bottom of the eighth, finishing the inning scoreless with two strikeouts. In the top of the ninth with two runners on base, Nationals cleanup hitter Michael Morse connected with on a 89-mph splitter from Marlins reliever Edwin Mujica and the ball flew “over the scoreboard and rattled around the seats.”21 Severino got the win, his only major-league decision. Unbeknownst to Severino his big-league career was over.

The 27-year-old Severino was no longer considered a prospect as spring training commenced in 2012. Younger arms were moving ahead of him. He was now seen as organizational depth in the minors. He came into 2012 spring training on the 40-man roster believing he had an opportunity to make the Nationals given his six appearances in 2011. Severino was a long shot to make the Nationals’ bullpen for 2012, who had three bullpen spots earmarked for three other lefties, Tom Gorzelanny, Ross Detwiler, and Sean Burnett. Caught up in a numbers game and pitching ineffectively, Severino was optioned to Syracuse at the end of spring training on March 29.

The Nationals designated Severino for assignment on August 6, 2012, to make room on the 40-man roster for the recently acquired infielder César Izturis. Clearing waivers, Severino was

outrighted to Syracuse. The signs were apparent that his career with the Nationals organization was ending. At the time he was waived, Severino was battling with control issues.

At age 28 after the 2012 campaign, Severino was one of the dwindling number of former Expos and one of the few Latinos in the Nationals organization. Though he pitched to a 3-0 record and a 2.81 ERA with three saves, he struggled with his control, walking 36 batters in 48 innings.22

The Washington Post’s James Wagner observed “While [Severino] had the ability to strike out batters, Severino struggled allowing too many walks and hits”23

The Nationals let him become a free agent on November 3. Being a lefty situational reliever meant that teams with a need for help in the bullpen might take a flyer on him. What followed was a series of minor-league deals with invitations to major-league camps. For the next three seasons, Severino signed with three organizations with nonroster invites in minor-league contracts. He was a minimal investment.

Severino signed a minor-league deal with the Kansas City Royals on November 14, 2012. At the conclusion of camp, the Royals assigned him to their Triple-A team, the Omaha Storm Chasers, where he made six appearances, allowing three earned runs over nine innings.

On May 31, 2013, the Royals sent Severino to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations. The Pirates assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis; for Pittsburgh, Severino represented depth in Triple A. With Omaha and Indianapolis, Severino posted a 3.60 ERA in 39 games (two starts) with 58 strikeouts and 19 walks in 55 innings. Severino dominated against left-handed batters, holding them to a .171 batting average. Nonetheless, the Pirates saw no future for him, letting him go after the season.

On December 18, 2013, Severino signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta as a nonroster invitee to compete for an available left-hander relief slot. He struggled in spring training. Braves manager Fredi González made it clear that he would carry only one left-hander out of the bullpen because righty Jordan Walden had better splits against left-handed batters.24 Severino spent the 2014 season with Triple-A Gwinnett. The pattern continued as the Braves released him after the season.

Severino’s next attempted path back to the majors saw him sign a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for 2015. He was 30 years old, having spent nine seasons in the minors. He had pitched effectively with Gwinnett with a 3.22 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 40 appearances, mostly situational. Whatever chance he had to make the Angels’ major-league roster were further diminished by his arrival at camp two weeks late because of visa issues in the Dominican Republic.

On March 16 the Angels sent Severino to the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees. He pitched ineffectively. Severino’s 26th game of the season and last game in the minors was a forgettable and brief outing in a 17-0 beatdown by the Fresno Grizzlies on June 14.  It was the worst shutout defeat in Bees’ history; they surrendered 27 hits in the loss. Relieving Bees starting pitcher Alex Sanabia (5 runs, 10 hits) in the fifth inning, Severino was ineffective, giving up four runs on four hits in an inning of work.25 He was released two days later.26 No other major-league organization needing pitching depth in the minors reached out. It was over for him the United States.

Severino pitched in 2016 for the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican Baseball League. He was a free agent after the season. He sat out the 2017 season, playing winter ball in Mexico. He signed with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico on December 7, 2017, but was released on April 8, 2018. Five days later the Sultanes brought Severino back, then on June 17 traded him to the Tigres de Quinta Roo, who released him on July 27 after he pitched in seven games to a 13.50 ERA and a 0-2 record.

Dominican winter ball was always a constant for Severino for 10 seasons. He started two games for the Gigantes del Cibao in 2006-07. He pitched for the Tigres del Licey from 2009 through 2019 except for the 2016-17, when he pitched for the Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League, and 2017-18 when he pitched for Aguilas de Mexicali of the Mexican Winter League.

His last professional game was played far away from Washington, D.C. On October 23, 2018, Severino signed with Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Republic for the 2018-19 season. On November 20, Licey placed him on the reserve list, then put him the active roster on December 11. He pitched in two games. In 1⅓ innings, he gave up three runs on four hits. Licey released the 33-year-old Severino on December 16, 2018.

Severino was selected to the champion Dominican Republic national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, appearing in three games in relief. He was selected for the Dominican national team in the 2019 Pan American Games.

In 13 professional seasons at all levels and in all countries, Severino was a durable matchup reliever. According to Baseball-Reference.com, he appeared in 662 games (18 starts) with 25 saves and a 3.41 ERA. His record was 47-29. For six games, Severino was a major-league pitcher. Severino’s time with the Nationals was so fleeting and nondescript that longtime Nationals beat writer Mark Zuckerman noted, “[I]f you blinked, you might have missed … Severino’s time here.”27 Severino did make it to the majors, no matter the longevity of his stay. The odds were against him to even make it to “The Show,” but Severino defeated the odds to achieve his major-league dream.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted baseball-reference.com, retrosheet.org, mlb.com, Baseball America, FanGraphs, and the Kansas City Royals and the Washington Nationals websites.

Photo credit: Atahualpa Severino with the Omaha Storm Chasers in April 2013, courtesy of Minda Haas Kuhlmann.

Notes

1 Ataphualpa pronunciation: \ah-tuh-WAHL-puh seh-ver-EE-noh\.

2 Kim MacQuarrie, The Last Days of the Incas (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007), 76-85.

3 Ataphualpa is revered figure in Peruvian history and culture and throughout Spanish-speaking Latin America as a heroic and inspirational character.

4 2010, 2011, and 2012 Washington Nationals Media Guides.

5 Cotui is also the hometown of major leaguers Pedro Liriano, Rafael Roque, Duaner Sánchez, José Capellán, and  

Teoscar Hernández.

6 James Wagner, “Dominican Players Sharpen Their Skills with a Broomstick and Bottle Cap,” New York Times, October 7, 2017: Section SP, 1.

7 Wagner.

8 As of June 1, 2022, Ismael Cruz was in his sixth season as the Dodgers’ vice president of international scouting. See https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/team/front-office/ismael-cruz. Starting in 2002 Cruz was the Expos’ director of international scouting and development, and served until 2005 with the Nationals. Dana Brown was the director of scouting for the Expos/Nationals for eight seasons, from 2002-09. As of 2022 he was vice president, scouting for the Atlanta Braves, overseeing the team’s amateur scouting process.

9 Severino appeared in 15 games, starting four. He went 2-5 with an ERA of 4.46 in 38⅓ innings pitched.

10 2012 Washington Nationals Media Guide,122. See https://www.medstarhealth.org/doctors/wiemi-abell-douoguih-md, accessed May 1, 2022.

11 2012 Washington Nationals Media Guide.

12 “LOOGY” is an acronym for “Left-Handed One Out Guy.”

13 Dave Sheinin, “Three Added to 40-Man Roster, but Not Reliever Wilkie,” Washington Post, November 20, 2009: D2.

14 David Sheinin, “Nationals Journal: Just Married: Strasburg Tied the Knot Two Weeks Ago,” Washington Post January 12, 2010: D2.

15 Adam Kilgore, “Nationals Journal: Villone Released: Balester Reassigned,” Washington Post, March 16, 2010: D5.

16 Kevin Goldstein, “Future Shock – Top 11 Review – NL East,” Baseball Prospectus: October 8, 2010. See https://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/article/12182/future-shock-top-11-review-nl-east/, accessed April 6, 2022.

17 Aaron Somers, “The Stuff that Dreams Are Made of: Atahualpa Severino,” FanSided’s Calltothepen.com, November 1, 2011. See https://calltothepen.com/2011/11/01/the-stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of-atahualpa-severino/, accessed April 6, 2022.

18 Somers.

19 Somers.

20 Thomas Boswell, “For Nationals, Third Place Would Be a Great Place to Start,” Washington Post, September 15, 2011: D5.

21 Adam Kilgore, “Morse’s Blast in Ninth Rallies Washington,” Washington Post, September 27, 2011: D3.

22 Patrick Reddington, “Will Sean Burnett Be a Part of the 2013 Washington Nationals Bullpen,” SB Nation Federal Baseball, November 24, 2012. See: https://www.federalbaseball.com/2012/11/24/3687098/will-sean-burnett-be-a-part-of-the-2013-washington-nationals-bullpen, accessed March 22, 2022.

23 James Wagner, “Nationals Journal: Another Connection to Team’s Past Moves On,” Washington Post, November 22, 2012: D2.

24 David O’Brien, “Braves Undecided on Matter of 2nd Lefty Reliever,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 21, 2014. See https://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/braves-undecided-matter-2nd-lefty-reliever/OkszWp1a5tL2oMq6LTNaPN/, accessed March 11, 2022.

25 Vincent Peña, “PCL: Fresno Demolishes Salt Lake, 17-0,” Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, Utah), June 14, 2015.

26 Severino had a 8.44 ERA in 26⅔ innings in 26 relief appearances.

27 Mark Zuckerman, “All the Ballplayers Whose Careers ended in D.C.,” masnsports.com, January 2, 2021. See https://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2021/01/all-the-ballplayers-whose-careers-ended-in-dc.html, accessed May 15, 2022.