Neal: Twins find hidden gem in Romero

[Seth Stohs]

http://www.startribune.com/twins-stumble-upon-a-hidden-gem-in-fernando-romero/414924934/

 

LaVelle E. Neal wrote about the signing of Fernando Romero. He didn't sign on July 2nd, and his agent had to call teams to find interest. But when the Twins saw him, it happened fast. 

 

 

“He was touching 91, a good loose arm and really good spin [on his curveball],’’ said Mike Radcliff, the Twins vice president of player personnel. “The kicker was the spin. He had a hard curveball, and that was before spin rate became the terminology. More spin means more [velocity] in there.”

 

[nytwinsfan]

I had no idea about the meniscus. I can't imagine how demoralizing that must have been after just coming back from the TJ surgery, and then badly hurting your knee. The fact that he bounced back from that double injury so quickly and effectively speaks quite a bit about his makeup. I also LOVE that the article says they are starting him in AA Chatanooga. No reason not to.  Really excited about this guy. 

[gunnarthor]

Yeah, if he's starting at AA, he's really not far away. Hopefully he dominates and makes the TD crowd look smart for making listing him as the teams #1 prospect.

[Mike Sixel]

Exciting find, no doubt. They could use a find like this to work out for sure.

[clutterheart]

I am most concerned about his long term health.  I remember reading his delivery is "all arm" and scouts questioned his ability to stay on the mound.  But I love that he is starting in AA.  Its good to see the FO being aggressive with these guys.

 

 

 

[mikelink45]

I would love to see him prosper and force a place in the MLB rotation at trade time.

[bird]

Editor: "Say, LaVelle, did you see that excellent piece on this kid, um, Fernando something, over at Twins Daily? Maybe you should put something out about him. We'd hate to lose more readers to them."

 

LaVelle: "I'll get right on that. I'm heading over to Hammond Field today right after lunch."

[Shaitan]

 

I am most concerned about his long term health.  I remember reading his delivery is "all arm" and scouts questioned his ability to stay on the mound.  But I love that he is starting in AA.  Its good to see the FO being aggressive with these guys.

 

Yeah, when I hear "killer slider" all I can think of is a young Liriano. Can that pitch be thrown without wrecking a young arm?

[FormerMinnasotan]

I am most concerned about his long term health. I remember reading his delivery is "all arm" and scouts questioned his ability to stay on the mound. But I love that he is starting in AA. Its good to see the FO being aggressive with these guys.

And it's weird too because he has a strong lower body so the fact he doesn't include his lower body in his delivery is very puzzling. I don't know if his pitching delivery can be altered, but it would be nice if it could for Romero's long term health.

[Bob Sacamento]

Here is video I took of Romero in Instructional League this September. You can see how much is arm as opposed to lower half.  In this outing, he was 95-96mph with his FB, 86-89mph with his SL and 83 with his CH.

 

Oh, yeah he also strikes out Pablo Sandoval at the end, which got Fernando stoked for at least the next week.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCTpUzL6pXo

[clutterheart]

 

Here is video I took of Romero in Instructional League this September. You can see how much is arm as opposed to lower half.  In this outing, he was 95-96mph with his FB, 86-89mph with his SL and 83 with his CH.

 

Oh, yeah he also strikes out Pablo Sandoval at the end, which got Fernando stoked for at least the next week.

 

 

In your video - why is the Ump standing in the infield like that?  Seems like his position is ripe for injury.

[Vanimal46]

 

Here is video I took of Romero in Instructional League this September. You can see how much is arm as opposed to lower half.  In this outing, he was 95-96mph with his FB, 86-89mph with his SL and 83 with his CH.

 

Oh, yeah he also strikes out Pablo Sandoval at the end, which got Fernando stoked for at least the next week.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCTpUzL6pXo

 

Thanks for sharing the video! It definitely looks like 90% arm and 10% legs in his delivery. That's pretty scary to see. 

[GP830]

 

Thanks for sharing the video! It definitely looks like 90% arm and 10% legs in his delivery. That's pretty scary to see. 

Agreed. I wonder what's being done to rectify at this time? If I can see it, it's probably pretty glaring. 

 

[Bob Sacamento]

 

In your video - why is the Ump standing in the infield like that?  Seems like his position is ripe for injury.

Do you mean why is he in the middle of the infield or why is standing there legs agape with his hands on his knee?  He's in the middle infield because there are only two umpires for GCL/Instructional League play.  He's standing with his hands on his knees and legs wide open because he knows Romero is pitching and no one is going to make hard contact.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Yeah, when I hear "killer slider" all I can think of is a young Liriano. Can that pitch be thrown without wrecking a young arm?

To me, the question is "should the Twins care?"

 

They tried to "fix" Liriano and he was a terrible pitcher off and on for several years because of it. When you control a guy's arb seasons, how much should you care whether he's pitching when he's 32 years old?

 

I'm not saying the Twins should go all Dusty Baker on their young arms but I'm not sure they should sacrifice cheap, plus-plus seasons to ensure the pitcher can go somewhere else at age 29 and make a bunch of money.*

 

*of course, it's in every team's best interest to try to keep a guy healthy using technology and modern practices

[FormerMinnasotan]

Romero put together good inning yesterday against the Pirates. I guess from the sound of it Romero has gotten quite a bit of praise from Moliter, and judging by how critical Molly and Neil Allen have been to Jose Berrios it is looking impressive that Romero is pulling in so much praise in his first MLB Spring Training.

[GP830]

A lot about Romero early in camp but the buzz seems to have died down as other stories have jumped into the lime light. Anyone get an eye on him this spring and have any continued assessments of how he fared?

[Bob Sacamento]

 

A lot about Romero early in camp but the buzz seems to have died down as other stories have jumped into the lime light. Anyone get an eye on him this spring and have any continued assessments of how he fared?

Well here's an assessment from this Non-Twins fan but huge Romero fan.  Fernando threw a side session on Friday and is scheduled to throw in game action on Wednesday. The kid has looked exceptional against AA competition with a FB sitting 95-97 mph topping at 99 (I told him the gun was hot) and his slider 88-91mph.  The changeup is progressing with slightly improved control since last year but still needs polish for him to succeed in the MLB as a starter.  Still he's 22 and looks to have lost 15lb from last year's 238lb frame.

[nytwinsfan]

 

Well here's an assessment from this Non-Twins fan but huge Romero fan.  Fernando threw a side session on Friday and is scheduled to throw in game action on Wednesday. The kid has looked exceptional against AA competition with a FB sitting 95-97 mph topping at 99 (I told him the gun was hot) and his slider 88-91mph.  The changeup is progressing with slightly improved control since last year but still needs polish for him to succeed in the MLB as a starter.  Still he's 22 and looks to have lost 15lb from last year's 238lb frame.

 

Well hell, that sounds awesome.

[GP830]

Well here's an assessment from this Non-Twins fan but huge Romero fan. Fernando threw a side session on Friday and is scheduled to throw in game action on Wednesday. The kid has looked exceptional against AA competition with a FB sitting 95-97 mph topping at 99 (I told him the gun was hot) and his slider 88-91mph. The changeup is progressing with slightly improved control since last year but still needs polish for him to succeed in the MLB as a starter. Still he's 22 and looks to have lost 15lb from last year's 238lb frame.

Glad I asked!

[FormerMinnasotan]

Well here's an assessment from this Non-Twins fan but huge Romero fan. Fernando threw a side session on Friday and is scheduled to throw in game action on Wednesday. The kid has looked exceptional against AA competition with a FB sitting 95-97 mph topping at 99 (I told him the gun was hot) and his slider 88-91mph. The changeup is progressing with slightly improved control since last year but still needs polish for him to succeed in the MLB as a starter. Still he's 22 and looks to have lost 15lb from last year's 238lb frame.

Sounds like Romero is right on track. I am not concerned about Romero's changeup right now. The good news is a.he is in AA so the Twins have more control on what Romero needs to improve on such as his changeup, and b.he has an innings limit this year, that's good as it gives him the season to improve his change. I honestly think if successful and healthy this year he very well may challenge for a spot in the rotation next year coming right out of spring training.

[GP830]

Does anyone have any updates on how Romero his looked? His stats don't look amazing, and the Minor League updates, haven't touched on his struggles much. Does he still look as promising as we'd hoped?