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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.