Article: TD Top Prospects: #1 Fernando Romero

[Thrylos]

 

As for the K rate, I don't consider that as important as ERA or wins and losses

 

Two words: Allan Anderson

[D.C Twins]

 

As a person who was at the first game as an usher and has now 55 years of watching and reading I can say the Twins have hardly ever had a good rotation.  Maybe two top guys, but look at the 87 world champs - that rotation was scary.  If this group can come through and we can push out the old and mediocre it would be wonderful. 

 

I reached 1987 #3 pitcher Les Straker for comment on the above. He said:

 

"Ummm,  scary is an understatement"

[Nick Nelson]

 

And 90 strikeouts in 90.1 innings is not bad, anyway.

Not at all, especially in light of the looong layoff. He got better as the summer went on. In his last 7 starts with Fort Myers, Romero struck out 45 in 39 innings (10.3 K/9, 30.4%). No pitcher in the FSL with 100+ innings even had a 24% K-rate.

[Nick Nelson]

^^ Arbitrary endpoint I admit but I just think it's very relevant to look at the way he finished, given the circumstances. 

[MN_ExPat]

 

should be quite the season in Chattanooga. New Manager (Jake Mauer) and hopefully, all the young Twins pitching studs on the same team. So look at what Mauer can trot out there Romero Jay Stewart Gonsalves Jorge Include Gordon at short, Maybe Granite in CF, should be quite the team. May have to camp out few nights at ballpark.

I agree... We get the chance to see Chattanooga come to town a couple of times a year.    Saw Felix Jorge pitch last year, actually did a really good job against Jacksonville, very efficient delivery.   This year's staff has the potential to be pretty good depending on who gets slotted there to start the year. 

 

Also, keep an eye on Granite.    Good contact hitter, plus defender and absolute beast on the base paths.  Fantastic speed.    Also a pretty nice kid as well. (Yes I know he's a position player).

[drivlikejehu]

 

To put it bluntly, you wouldn't attempt gymnastics like this if it had been under Ryan.

Take a second to consider how lost this club would be without the international signings under smith. Success the likes of which Ryan, with the same scouts, never even remotely approached.

 

There's way more to being a successful GM than that. It's nice that he realized it's imperative to sign international free agents, but it doesn't mean that he was somehow a success when so many other things went poorly.

[bird]

 

Romero's our best shot at an ace at this point.  If he becomes that.....than Smith's tenure wasn't just good at IFA, it was the most indispensable component of our successful rebuild.  

 

 

Two questions:

 

1. What specific actions do you believe Smith took regarding Romero, other than to pull into his parking spot a good portion of the time during which Romero and his handlers were courted?

 

2. If someone other than Smith pulled into the parking spot with the interim GM title, and like Smith, was completely oblivious as to who this Fernando kid was, would Romero have signed elsewhere as a result?

 

I'm sorry, but you're arguing about things that never ever took place and that have zero relevance regarding the success or failings of the IFA efforts. Any difference in success from the times Ryan pulled into the parking spot and when Smith did is pure happenstance, period. And that includes any notion of how much a GM influenced ownership to write a big check. Even Sano's check had much much more to do with Guerrero's influence and a collective understanding of the opportunity and much less to do with anything Billy Smith did. Talking about the Smith era versus the Ryan era is a bunch of nonsense, frankly. Let's give both men credit for their actual accomplishments in building and leading the IFA efforts and stop trying to give them credit for these individual prospects they had so little to do with. Who do you think had the most to do with Thorpe? Or Kepler? Try Howard Norsetter perhaps, but scratch both Ryan and Smith off the list.

[TheLeviathan]

By that measure GMS should never get credit for any prospect.

 

Smith, in a few short years, signed Sano, Polanco, Kepler, and Romero.

 

He was clearly willing to be more aggressive on this front and we are reaping the rewards. One more reason to be happy we have a new FO.

[Squirrel]

MODERATOR WARNING: This is not a FO/GM past thread. MOVE ON! If you want to have a discussion of all the good and bad of Smith and/or Ryan, start a thread, but these thread jacks need to stop. And no, it's NOT relevant, not in this thread, not in the manner it's going. And I'm looking at a very small number of posters here. Please, stop. And stop in the other threads, too.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Not at all, especially in light of the looong layoff. He got better as the summer went on. In his last 7 starts with Fort Myers, Romero struck out 45 in 39 innings (10.3 K/9, 30.4%). No pitcher in the FSL with 100+ innings even had a 24% K-rate.

That's fair, although there were pitchers with comparable K rates over that smaller sample:

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/minorleaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=10&qual=40&type=1&season=2016&team=0&players=0&sort=8,d

 

Again, not to take anything away from Romero. He is a fine prospect, and I have no quibble with his Twins rank here. But I get the impression that some here want to consider him elite, based on that relative Twins rank, his ERA, etc.

Edited February 25, 2017 by spycake

[Squirrel]

Finally got to this write up this morning. I was one of those not completely 'in the know' on Romero. This write up made me hopeful and excited in a way I haven't been in a while. With Sano and Buxton coming up, they were much talked about so it wasn't as much of a surprise. But I'm going to really watch this one this year and hoping that what I see really builds the 'impatient anticipation' to seeing him in Twins uniform!

[Deduno Abides]

That's fair, although there were pitchers with comparable K rates over that smaller sample:http://www.fangraphs.com/minorleaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=10&qual=40&type=1&season=2016&team=0&players=0&sort=8,d

Again, not to take anything away from Romero. He is a fine prospect, and I have no quibble with his Twins rank here. But I get the impression that some here want to consider him elite, based on that relative Twins rank, his ERA, etc.

 

No A+ pitcher is guaranteed to be elite, but his first year back after TJ was fantastic. Great velocity and command. If he shows similar results in Chattanooga and bumps up his change a little, elite looks very possible.

[Otto von Ballpark]

By elite, I mean elite prospect. That would be a pretty huge jump from where he is now. Still possible, but hard to project.

[DJSim22]

I agree with having Romero in the top 5, I'm not one to get overly excited about any prospect until he starts dominating AA.  I still think A to AA is the biggest jump in the minors.

[FormerMinnasotan]

Romero was pretty impressive in his first spring training game...1 ip 0 hits 1 walk and 2 k's. I read he hit 98 mph 3 times. Plus he sounds real confident, yet not cocky as he did state that he had "work to do on his change up". Can't agrue with these early results though...

[Bob Sacamento]

 

Romero was pretty impressive in his first spring training game...1 ip 0 hits 1 walk and 2 k's. I read he hit 98 mph 3 times. Plus he sounds real confident, yet not cocky as he did state that he had "work to do on his change up". Can't agrue with these early results though...

"Real confident, yet not cocky" that sounds about spot on with Fernando.  I cannot state my adoration for El Toro as I'm the appointed "El Presidente del club de fans Fernando Romero". But my biggest gripe with Romero is his love for the radar gun, I can't count how many times after a start in EXST or Instructs where he'd ask me or another player charting how hard he was throwing and if he didn't hit 98mph he was visibly upset.

[FormerMinnasotan]

"Real confident, yet not cocky" that sounds about spot on with Fernando. I cannot state my adoration for El Toro as I'm the appointed "El Presidente del club de fans Fernando Romero". But my biggest gripe with Romero is his love for the radar gun, I can't count how many times after a start in EXST or Instructs where he'd ask me or another player charting how hard he was throwing and if he didn't hit 98mph he was visibly upset.

I just hope he is no so obsessed with his fastball that he reinjures the elbow because he pushes himself to throw his fastball so hard, also I hope he embraces improving his change as with his fastball even a decent changeup will help him become a better starter. I just don't want the kid to ruin his pitching elbow.