Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | WAS | LHP | 13 | 45 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | SL | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 40 | 55 | 60 | 50 | 40/40 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Anthony Franco
Age: 25 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 240 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/L
Acquired: 2017 Round 1
RuleV: On 40-man
Physical Description: Listed size of 6'3, 240 looks outdated. Was heavyset at the University of Houston but slimmed down by 2020 MLB debut. Physically maxed out; tree trunk thighs with rounded, muscular upper half. Underwent a Tommy John surgery in 2019.
Delivery & Mechanics: Pretty stiff delivery; struggles to get out over his front hip at release, giving him some difficulty staying on top of his offspeed stuff. Some effort and head movement at release. 3/4 arm slot. Below-average athlete.
Fastball: Romero was 91-93 in majors last season; had been more reliably in the mid-90's as a draft prospect. Reasonable to project him to add a tick or two as he gets further from surgery and on a more regular workload but he probably never recovers the 94-97 he had in college. Fastball has some backspin that gives it decent life at the top of the zone. Grade: 55
Slider: 80-83 MPH slider drives the profile. Has good lateral action with some depth and bat-missing bite. Inconsistent feel for locating but it's a plus pitch when he spots it down and glove-side. Grade: 60
Changeup: 83-85 MPH change. Inconsistent feel but flashed above-average changeup. Has good arm-side break but sometimes slows down the arm speed. Grade: 50
Control and Command: Poor present control. Very little feel for consistently locating secondaries and struggles to throw fastball in the strike zone in obvious 'take situations’ for the hitter. Due to limited minor-league reps (has been both injured and suspended at times), might be a bit of a late bloomer as a strike-thrower. Nevertheless, age and below-average athleticism mean he<92>s probably best suited in the bullpen. Control: 40 | Command: 40
Overall: Romero has a potential starter's repertoire but various factors mean he's more likely to wind up a long-term reliever. He doesn't have much present control or command; that should improve as he gets more minor-league reps, but his lack of athleticism means strike-throwing was always going to be a struggle. Plus, the Nationals have a need for immediate bullpen help. With Romero already on the 40-man roster, I think Washington's more likely to get him to the majors as a left-handed bullpen piece with plus stuff rather than give him the minor-league reps he'd need for another couple years to have a shot to develop starter command and feel.
OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Long Reliever or Low Leverage Reliever
Risk: High
