.
MILB gives you a quick-scan of a busher's last ten games. That box list, for Romero, contains nothing but singles, doubles, triples, homers, walks and a rampage towards next season's Top-100 list. Let them tasssste the trrrriple gunnsss.
For those who just joined us, it's all the rage to heavily discount dismiss entirely everything that a batter does at the launching pad in class-A High Desert. The Mariners didn't discount it for Romero, and you'll get a broad grin out of these alphanumeric characters:
| Stefen Romero | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| A+ High Desert (60 games) | .357 | .391 | .581 |
| AA Jackson (46 games) | .349 | .402 | .628 |
Also, Romero's EYE is better now at AA Jackson than it was at High Desert.
Who exactly is Stefen Romero, you ask? Glad you asked. Gives me an easy Exec Sum article. Hey, cheap at twice the price. Here are the SSI scouting reports from July 13, 2012. If you're in the mood for a cheerful half hour, you could do worse than to re-read the classics.
Stefan Romero Scouting Report 1 - the Relaxation. Romero is the anti-Smoak. Some guys, such as Blake Beavan, just relax. Also Mike Trout relaxes.
2 - The Stretch. Romero features Dr. D's favorite hitting dynamic, the far-ankle near-elbow wrestling rubber band. It gives him a smooth, compact stroke.
3 - Gliding. Dr. D didn't care for the (sometimes) travel of the head and spine at this stage of his career. SSI readers begged to differ. :shrug: He's not a finished product.
4 - Romero vs Jose Lopez? - SSI was axed about this comp. Many things similar; a few key things vary, if you ax me. Which they did. Comparing a AA player to Jose Lopez is not a smear, by the way. Lopez had a star outcome available to him.
5 - The Glorious Wrists. - Romero genuinely does have snake-tongue wrists. As did Edgar Martinez Way. Batspeed, throughspeed, or perceptive speed? Like Arnold told the gun salesman, which one will it be? "ALL." >:-[
6 - Pedro Grifol. - Prospect Insider had quotes from Grifol, who is genuinely world-class, with respect to Romero. Grifol's considered opinion is that Romero is a "great" hitter.
7 - Yellow Light - on July 13th, Dr. D cautioned that Romero had just gotten to AA, played only 17 games, and that he could easily do a bug-on-a-windshield over the next month. As it turned out, this "moth" shattered the windshield like a 50mm cannon round.
8 - Green Light - We conceded that Romero, at the same point in his career, was roughly comparable to where Nick Franklin was. As ML templates go, objectively speaking, he's in the Tulowitzki, Longoria mold - what % of their ability, who knows, but that's the skill set and profile.
Prospect Insider - Here's another mid-summer scouting report on Romero. If for some unfathomable reason you would wish to supplement SSI's info tsunami with the rudimentary evaluations offered by the pro's. >;- )
The Stalk - Jim continues to offer a way fun day-by-day on the minors progress. Here's one from a couple days ago, calling out Romero again.
At this point, Romero is either (1) going to be on next winter's Top-100 list, or (2) going to be a very reasonable candidate for it.
Rock on Jay-Z,
Dr D
Doc and G,
In all seriousness, what is the chance that Romero spends a considerable amount of time in Seattle next year. The jump is not unknown.....????
This guy hits ropes and precocious talent rises quickly....See Trout.
moe
Romero plays at second base, but could play at third if you wanted him to (he's a big dude - BIG). We have Ackley and Seager at those positions. I don't expect to rush him to the bigs. He can do what Catricala did and spend some time in Tacoma. Hopefully he doesn't faceplant there like Vinnie did.
But there's no dire need to rush him up to fill. Our options for second base are: Ackley, Seager, Franklin, Miller, Romero, Triunfel and Marder, all of whom will be at AA or higher next year if they remain with us. Franklin, Miller and Romero are all candidates for a top-100 list.
Part of our problem is that we have a ton of guys duplicating one position, and a potential 40-man crunch. In fact, that sounds like an article...
~G
The A is, as y'probly know, that will shake out soon enough Moe m'man...
Every prospect is like a $2 lotto card; we flip 'em and flip 'em and there's nothing to say that you don't flip Romero and get a surprise Troy Tulowitzki...
If so, he rips up Tacoma (or even spring training) next year, and in such a way that the scouts go, this kid is unreal... he comes to the majors, he hits there too, and off we go...
If a prospect is the real deal -- as has not been familiar to M's fans -- he sets his own pace. Felix crashed the Safeco gates at age 19. It's up to them. o' course Gordon is referring to the situation in which we don't KNOW whether Romero is legit, where we're guessing and hoping he is, and in that case I agree - there's a line in front of him...
Good topic bro'...
Yeah, it's up to Romero to force their hand - especially since he will be diplacing another player. Vinnie hit well early in ST but then tailed off. He then face planted in Tacoma before kind of righting the ship. We were all eager to see him in Seattle back in March but nobody is saying that now. It's too early to tell if Romero will do the same. It's up to him. I'll bet he starts 2013 in Jackson with Zunino and it'll be up to the both of them to force the tough decisions.
It's a pleasure to be on the same page with you for a change, Doc.
I picked up Romero as my MC adoptee this year, (as suggested by Lonnie). So, I started parsing his numbers back in April.
Here's my take. His .280/.342/.462 (.802) line in Clinton in 2011 doesn't scream superstar. But, there were two things I noticed quickly. The first is he crowds the plate. He had 11 HBP in 116 A games. He also had 16 SBs to go with his 16 HRs. The forensic psychic in me translates HBP, plus steals, plus a 182 ISO as AGGRESSIVE. His walk total, (32 in 116 games) is low end acceptable ... but what really piqued my interest was only 69 Ks in thos 478 PAs. Full season 40/80 eye isn't bad at all for a player who is "naturally" hyper-aggressive. The 22/4/16 XBH template is also attractive, even for a 22-year-old rookie.
I know about discounting HD stats, so the .973 OPS while intriguing, certainly wasn't definitive. But, while it IS a hitter's haven, it is still a level up in competition. A 170 point jump from A to A+ is note-worthy. The K rate didn't budge - the walk rate dropped. But, when you're hitting .357, you're killing the ones they put in the zone. As he stomped all over Cal League pitching, I was VERY interested in what would happen to him when he moved to the pitching-heavy Southern League.
When he ADDED 45 points of OPS ... in a league that THIS SEASON has been seriously skewed toward pitching ... THAT is a major, major statement about not only ability ... but development. The simple math of it is this ... it is completely impossible to improve your statistics as you face tougher competition, UNLESS you are adding to your skill set as you go. The context of High Desert is important. But the context of the Southern League this season equally so. The LEAGUE averaged 7.6 Ks per 9, and the avg OPS for the league was .710.
But, the most impressive stats in moving from hitter heaven to pitcher central is that his slugging improved. His 224 ISO in HD is enough to get you to nod in appreciation. His 274 ISO in Jackson ... a level higher ... and stacked with lots of elite pitchers this year ... that's just SCARY.
His walk rate has returned to where it was in Clinton. One of my development keys I pay attention to is doubles power. It's common for younger kids to take time to fully develop their HR swing. But, the 'tell' for this is the doubles rate. Like Seager and Franklin, Romero has about as many doubles as Agent Smith. He's up to 33 in 107 games this year between HD and Jackson. The fact he's already totaled 20 HRs is just gravy.
Of course, you canont expect any prospect to hit .346 in the bigs. Ain't gonna happen. But, the combo of power and speed is the kind of profile you hope for in a corner OF ... not a middle infielder. Oh, and he improved his Fielding % from .965 to .975 from '11 to '12. My sense is this guy is an instruction SPONGE. I don't know if he'll stick as a 2B. But he split time between OF and 3B in Clinton. Honestly, if what I think happens with the current roster, I think you're looking at the next star corner OF for the Ms. I think Carp sticks at first, (Smoak washes out), and am not high on Thames as a solution.
If the kid is as much a sponge as I think ... I believe it is possible he could be one of the VERY few kids that can add patience as he develops. The odds are long, of course. It's a long way from 200 AA PAs to an MLB star ... but my sense from his statistical profile is he is the anti-Smoak. This is the kind of kid who you cannot only get away with shoving into the #4 hole from day one ... but he'll thrive on it.
You're all right, it is too early to predict a Romero line next year. My question was one that asks "Can he produce like this in AAA and if he does, will the phone ring for him?"
He'll be 24, he's hardly too young. And if he knocks down the door, you can hardly tell him to wait for the guys ahead of him.
We had a DH once will a skill set like Romero.
He doesn't have to play 2B or 3B.
I like Liddi a lot. I'm disappointed in Catricala's line this year....but I believe he will still hit. But if Catricala had hit .340 for 50 games in Tacoma, he would have been forcing the door open.
If Romero hits like that, it will tough to make him prove it for another 90 games.
I'm not saying he will, was just asking what happens if he does.
moe
I wondered about a LF option for Romero. Did not know he had some MiLB experience there. But a guy who can play 2B and 3B can probably manage a decent COF.
It will be interesting to see what the M's do with him. Do you give him a 20-game Cup of Tea in Tacoma ths year? Probably not, considering the folks in Tacoma....but I would not be adverse. In fact, I think I would welcome it. Prodigious hitting talent rises quickly: Way quickly.
I would hate to see the M's shuffle him back to Jackson next spring for more AA "seasoning." That is a move I don't understand. When a kid creams the ball like Romero has and you DON'T move him quickly, I think it creates a mind-set of "Man, what do I have to do? Hit .440?" And at that point pressing begins and a natural hitter's relaxation withers. I truely believe that has been part of Carp's problem this year.
All the same, he's going to be one of the most interesting ST players to watch next year.
If he hits like this next May, it will be hard not to give him a shot.
moe
Nah, the won't move him to AAA this year for the same reason they moved Zunino up to AA - playoffs. Jackson will be in while Tacoma will not and the M's minor leage development guys are pretty big on getting the young guys playoff experience. Heck,he'll probably face better picthing in those playoffs than he would in Tacoma anyway.