Pedro Severino

Severino appeared in a career-high 113 games with the Orioles in 2021 where he slashed .248/.308/.383 with 11 home runs, 46 RBI and 32 runs last year. The 28-year-old should serve as the primary backup to Omar Narvaez after Manny Pina signed with Atlanta. He has some pop for a backup catcher, which will make him relevant in deeper two-catcher formats.

Severino is settling in as a sneakily decent catcher, a fine second option in two-catcher formats and worthy of consideration in deeper one-catcher leagues. He's produced an identical 94 wRC+ in two straight seasons, a perfectly respectable number for the position, hitting a combined .249/.321/.409 with 18 homers in 144 games. It's quite a dramatic improvement from the .187/.273/.287 line he recorded in 105 games to start his career, though he's still just 27 years old and catchers can take some time to develop. He's graded out as a rather poor pitch framer, so the whole package doesn't make him much more than a low-end regular, but it's so far been enough to move him slightly ahead of the similarly medium Chance Sisco in the pecking order. The real threat to Severino comes from 2019 first-overall pick Adley Rutschman, but he's yet to advance beyond Low-A, so he won't be deubting early in the year.

Severino jumped to the American League in 2019 and benefited from increased playing time, notching more plate appearances (341) than in his previous four seasons combined. The 26-year-old showed some pop at the dish, placing fifth on the team with 13 home runs and ranking 14th among major-league catchers with a 23.5 AB/HR (min. 300 plate appearances). While Severino has never shown an ability to hit for a high average, his .249 mark last season was made more palatable by a decent walk rate (8.5%) and a non-destructive strikeout rate (21.4%). Severino's output suited Baltimore just fine and even led to scattered pickups throughout the season by fantasy owners in need of help at the shallowest position. However, Severino is likely to be locked into a catching platoon with Chance Sisco again next season, limiting his potential growth and keeping him off the radar in all but the deepest of mixed leagues.

Severino was very good in his limited 2016 action, batting .321/.441/.607 in 34 plate appearances over 16 games, while also hitting two home runs and knocking in four RBI. It may be unreasonable to expect that for a full season, however, as his best minor league average since entering pro ball in 2011 was .271, which he hit in 2016 for Triple-A Syracuse over 317 plate appearances. He doesn't walk much, but he also doesn't strike out much, walking just 6.0 percent of the time with Syracuse and striking out 14.2 percent of the time. The 23-year-old seemed to have an excellent shot at being on the Opening Day roster before the team went out and acquired Derek Norris. He is now left to compete with Jose Lobaton for the backup catcher's job in spring training. If Norris' 155 wRC+ from 2016 is a trend and not a blip, however, there could be a shakeup behind the plate for the 2016 NL East champions, opening the door for Severino.

Severino made his major league debut in September, and while the 22-year-old didn't see much action, he's clearly positioned to be the Nationals' next backup at catcher. His offensive numbers in his first look at Double-A were unimpressive, and he could stand to shorten a long swing from the right side, but Severino's defense behind the plate has always been his calling card. He's got a great arm and quick release, throwing out 38 percent of attempted base stealers last season for Harrisburg. He also has the athleticism to block pitches in the dirt, and has even shown a knack for framing pitches in his young professional career. Jose Lobaton won't be eligible for free agency until 2018, so Severino will have plenty of time to continue honing his skills in the high minors, but once the front office feels he's ready, expect him to become a fixture on the Nats bench.