Severino tests out tweaks to delivery prior to Classic

MESA, Ariz. – In his previous experiences attending the World Baseball Classic as a fan, Luis Severino has been blown away by the game atmosphere. He found himself wondering what that energy might feel like for the players on the field.

Severino is about to experience that energy firsthand in less than two weeks, when he joins Team Dominican Republic for the WBC. The first chance to represent his home country in the tournament is a long time coming for the 10-year MLB veteran.

“I’m really excited,” Severino said. “It’ll be a crazy environment out there in Miami. … It’ll be crazy to go out there and compete.”

Severino headlines a group of eight players in A’s Spring Training who will leave camp next week to represent their respective countries. He’ll be joined by countryman Elvis Alvarado.

Others participating are left-handed pitcher Wei-En Lin (Chinese Taipei), right-handed pitcher Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang (Chinese Taipei), third baseman Darell Hernaiz (Puerto Rico), left fielder Carlos Cortes (Puerto Rico), center fielder Denzel Clarke (Canada) and first baseman Joey Meneses (Mexico). The ultra-competitive Severino has already approached the position players with some friendly trash talk regarding potential showdowns.

“I told Clarke he’s got no chance against me,” Severino said with a laugh. “Hopefully, we can meet up there. It would be fun to compete against each other.”

Severino got a head start on his preparation for the WBC this spring, and he certainly pitched like he was ahead of everyone else in his Cactus League debut.

Drawing the start for the A’s in Sunday’s 6-0 loss to the Guardians at Hohokam Stadium, the 32-year-old right-hander racked up three strikeouts and allowed one hit and one walk in two scoreless innings. Per Statcast, Severino averaged 96.9 mph with his fastball, topping out at 97.8 mph. His average fastball velocity in 2025 was 96.1 mph.

“Usually, I don’t get into games until maybe [the second week of games],” Severino said. “I think pitching now and having another game before I go up there is going to be good for me.”

Even as he enters year 11 as a big leaguer, Severino still utilizes spring as a time to experiment with things as a pitcher. On Sunday, he showed off a slightly different delivery after making an adjustment to his windup. He’s also tweaked his changeup, which he threw four times, generating one whiff.

“I’ve been working on a different [changeup] grip,” Severino said. “So far, it’s doing good. My arm action is better than last year. Also, my mechanics, just trying to stay back and not rush to the plate. I’m getting used to doing something different. Hopefully, by the end of Spring Training, I’ll be more familiar and more have more confidence in what I’m doing.”

For an A’s squad intent on contending for the playoffs this season, Severino is a critical piece of that equation. He’ll likely once again enter the season as their No. 1 starter, and he, along with the rest of the pitching staff, will need to put together a better collective performance than what they showed in '25 to support what is expected to be one of the top offenses in baseball.

“We have a young, great team,” Severino said. “If we can be better at pitching this year, that’s going to take us to a whole different level.”