Starter Or Reliever, That Is The Romero Question

Questions

What is his current breaking ball?

If he starts at Rochester, does that count as using up an option?

If he’s kept on the 40 man, isn’t he immune from the Rule 5 draft?

My opinion would be to begin the year in the minors until and if he can develop at least an average third and maybe fourth pitch.

Considering the lack of contracts to starters after 2019, whatever the Twins do, they must not foreclose on him being part of the 2020 rotation. I expect that by the second half of of 2019, he is either a reliever on a contending Twins team, or a starter on a Twins team that is playing for next year.

It doesn't have to be either or, Seth,

He could be used every fourth or fifth game as a long reliever.  Come in for one of the starters who doesn't pitch deep into games and finish their game.  That could give him three to five innings in say 30+ games during the year...say 135+/- innings.  Would likely not see the lineup turn over for a third time which should lead to success for him and the Twins.  Would also set him up, innings wise, for being a starter in 2020.  

A side benefit would be that the rest of a seven man bullpen would get a day off and save wear and tear on everyone else.

I think it makes sense to allow Romero to pitch out of the pen this year and then next year, when we will be looking for starting pitchers, he can move into the rotation.

By pitching out of the pen this year, it allows him to 1) dominate (hopefully) with the stuff he has, 2) work on his change-up and breaking stuff so that he has 3 solid pitches (or more) for when he transitions back to the starting role in 2020 and 3) to learn and observe from the veteran starting pitchers an how they prepare, how they attach major league hitters and how they maintain between starts.

Would prefer as a starter, but think it is more important to have him develop at the major league level and help the Twins win this year.  He could move back to starting, but sending him to Rochester to me does little good. If he dominates there, what will the Twins do?.  So use him in long relief to start and move to starting if one of the starters fails or you can trade one.

I'm going to give Wes Johnson the benefit of the doubt on this one. If Romero is ready, as either a RP or SP, he should be on the major league roster. If Johnson tries to improve his mechanics and/or changeup, he might need a little while at AAA to put it together as a SP.

Romero could work on these issues with the Twins, but Perez took away a roster spot. If it comes down to Romero or Mejia, they probably keep the latter because he's out of options. 

Because the rotation is full and we have a lot of depth I want to put him in the pen. The best 12/13 pitchers should be on the roster and he is definitely that.

I hope that him being a starter is still in their long term plans.

I assume that Perez has the 5th spot to start the season unless something significant happens in spring training.  In that case I would rather Romero starts the season in kind of a swingman role in the majors than as a starter in the minors.  And I would also hope that Romero would be stretched out into a starting role when someone goes down with an injury (when is the last time we've been trough an entire season without one of the starters going down for a significant amount of time), or if their plans for Pineda or Perez change due to ineffectiveness or some other circumstance.

I see no reason to have him the minors, I like the idea of the Johan, Liriano, Sale type of role at first, he either is so good they can't keep him out of the rotation, or he settles in nicely as a relief pitcher.

Starter, even if you have to send him down for awhile. They can find bullpen guys anywhere, bullpen arms are the most volitile position in all of baseball. Berrios did not have a first good year at all and they kept him in the rotation, I don't think the bullpen is necessarily the best place for a guy who has has arm issues. Bullpen guys never know when they are pitching they never know how long etc.... A starter is on a routine with pen sessions etc. If he's not one of the 5 - 6 starters send him down keep him in a routine so as to get the most out of him when it's time to.

If we're questioning starter versus reliever roles, I'd rather keep Romero in a starting role and have Perez take up the reliever slot.

 I'm getting old(er), so I may be off my rocker, but here's my take.  Romero starts the year at Rochester as a starter while they sort out guys like Perez, Gonsalves, Stewart, Mejia, etc..  By June 1, he'll be added to the 25-man as a reliever as Falvine continues to figure out what (if anything) it has in the afore mentioned guys .  In 2020, with FA starters gone, he comes to spring training and is given a chance to crack the rotation.

...Romero could be a force in the bullpen. And that’s something that Falvey acknowledged as well. “Fernando is someone who you watch THE FIRST FEW INNINGS and you think, ‘that could be pretty special out of the bullpen.'’

Doesn't this make it sound that there are questions about his stamina...how long he can maintain his velocity/stuff on any given outing? That no matter the development of pitches, he may simply be significantly more effective as a reliever than a starter?

That's what it sounds like they're saying to me. But it seems early in his development to be making that conclusion...at least definitively. And I don't know how you answer that question without keeping him in a starting role to see if the added year, and further distance from the TJ, moves that needle.

Good pitchers are good pitchers. Failed starters frequently make good relievers. Failed relievers NEVER make goods starters. Start him in the pen. If he dominates and you need rotation help, stretch him out. He'll have more time to develop pitches ot of the pen anyway.

Would prefer as a starter, but think it is more important to have him develop at the major league level and help the Twins win this year.  He could move back to starting, but sending him to Rochester to me does little good. If he dominates there, what will the Twins do?.  So use him in long relief to start and move to starting if one of the starters fails or you can trade one.

The problem with using him in the majors as a reliever is that he will concentrate on using his best pitches, to get people out. What he needs to do is improve his secondary pitches.  You can't do that in the majors, with games on the line.

That's what the minor leagues are for. If the goal is to succeed as a starter, keep him in AAA, where he can focus on improving his secondary pitches. Only in the minors can he afford to use his least effective pitches, even when it's not the best way to get batters out. That's exactly what he needs to do: Throw lots of curveballs and sliders, even if it means getting knocked around a little. And when they stop hitting them, THEN he's ready for the majors. And he'll arrive with four pitches, as good as he can make them without facing MLB hitters, and take it from there.

I don't get why people say he'll improve faster in the majors, and is wasting his time in the minors. Can he work on his weaker off speed pitches in real games? Maybe I'm wrong, and he can work on his other pitches on the side, while going fastball/slider in games. I don't see it though. At some point he needs to use them to improve.

To me, the only real justification for stunting the development of a potential starter is if you're in a pennant race. If every out counts, and you've got a fireballer who can help you in the pen right now, sure, screw the future and go for it. But for where the Twins are now, I would say, If you want to make him a reliever, do it because you're sure he'll never master a changeup or a curve. But if there's still hope, give the guy a chance to reach his potential. If our real window is a year or two away, do what gives you the best chance of turning him into a top of the line starter. And if he's not ready yet, do what you can to get him there. Which is to focus on his secondary pitches, not the ones he's already mastered.

If the season goes surprisingly well, and the Twins are in contention, and you need another arm, grab him from AAA and throw him in the bullpen. He'll be even better for having worked on his secondary pitches. But unless you think his offspeed pitches are hopeless and are ready to make him a reliever permanently, I wouldn't pull the plug quite yet.

But the only point in making him a reliever now is if the Twins are in win-now mode, and they really need him; or if they plan to throw him out there when the game is already lost, and he can experiment without a cost.

If the Twins get so far out of the race that they're throwing in the towel, I guess they  could let him work on his curve and change with major league batters then, too, even if it means getting knocked around. But otherwise, I'd let him work on his off speed pitches in AAA.

The problem with using him in the majors as a reliever is that he will concentrate on using his best pitches, to get people out. What he needs to do is improve his secondary pitches. You can't do that in the majors, with games on the line.

 

 

Their is no substitute for learning how to get major league hitters out, ask Berrios. Taylor Rogers learned a slider last year during the season while working out of the pen.

Their is no substitute for learning how to get major league hitters out, ask Berrios. Taylor Rogers learned a slider last year during the season while working out of the pen.

Berrios was up twice in 2016 for 14 starts. In 2017, he began the season in AAA. There is plenty for a young SP to learn in AAA when they are making physical adjustments. 

He could be a good starter but there's no doubt he'd be a good reliever.

I say work him in, a la Johan Santana, as a reliever for a while. If he flashes greatness and longevity, a rotation spot will open up sooner rather than later, should the team wish to go that direction.