Major League Baseball announced the suspension of a Dominican Republic prospect following a league investigation that uncovered an elaborate age‑fraud plot. The player, a switch‑hitting infielder known publicly as David Severino, was found to have been presented as nearly two years younger than his true age.
False Identity and Documents
According to ESPN, the scheme involved falsifying school and medical records, creating fake birth and death certificates, and even staging a gravesite. The handler, trainer Francisco Nieves, allegedly fabricated a death certificate for the player’s younger brother, claiming the child died of a respiratory illness two years after birth, and built a counterfeit tombstone that was placed at a gravesite in the Dominican Republic.
Severino, whose legal name is Daury David Severino Damaso, is actually 16 years old. In December, he agreed to a $2.8 million pre‑deal with the Cleveland Guardians, who believed he was 13 or 14 at the time. The agreement was set to become official in 2029, when the player would be 17 and eligible to sign.
Trainer’s Role and Reaction
John Pereyra, a veteran trainer who runs the Futuro Big Leaguers academy in Santiago, said he first saw Severino and was told the boy was 11. Pereyra paid Nieves $20,000 for Severino’s rights and trained the prospect for two years leading up to the Guardians’ deal. He maintains he knew nothing about the fraud, noting only that the late filing of the birth certificate was common in impoverished areas.
When the Guardians’ agreement fell apart, Pereyra learned of the investigation after receiving a message from Nieves in May. He expressed sympathy for Severino and his family, citing the desperation to escape poverty as a driving factor. “When you have a kid and you tell him, ‘Look, your name is not Daury. If someone asks your name, you say, ‘David Severino Damaso,’” he said, adding that the boy would comply.
Wider Implications
The case highlights a broader problem of age and identity fraud in baseball’s talent pipelines, especially in poor regions of the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Executives, scouts, and trainers said they had never seen a scheme of this magnitude, describing it as “movie‑like” and unprecedented in the Dominican Republic.
MLB has not released details about any additional penalties beyond the suspension, and the Cleveland Guardians, Nieves, and the academy have declined to comment further.
What This Means for the Game
The suspension serves as a reminder of the importance of integrity in player evaluation and the need for rigorous verification processes. While the pursuit of a major‑league career can drive families to extreme measures, the league’s response underscores a commitment to fairness and the protection of young athletes from exploitation.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
