MIN 6, STL 0: Fernand0 R0mer0!!!!

Puckett34 · May 8, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQsjAbZDx-4

Squirrel · May 8, 2018

I’m excited and encouraged with Romero. But before I proclaim him anything I want to see where he’s at in July and August. Will teams adjust to him once they’ve seen him a second or third time? That’s the test. But for right now, wow.

gunnarthor · May 8, 2018

He doesn't really remind me of anyone we've had but the way hitters have flailed at stuff out of the zone, it's sorta like Liriano, back in his day.

What was really nice to watch was how he doesn't (for now) need to throw actual strikes b/c hitters are confused and swinging at balls. With scouting reports we might need to see adjustments but, for now, this is a lot of fun to watch.

IndianaTwin · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 4:30 AM, Rosterman said:
Yep. Why Bobby WIlson catching insted of Garver, Romero's catcher of the future?

I like someone's post from the game thread. With a day game today, each catcher is probably going to get one game. At least in the recent past, Wilson has probably spent more time with Romero and Garver more time with Odorizzi. These matches also pair young guy with experienced guy.

So far, so good.

terrydactyls · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 1:01 PM, IndianaTwin said:
I like someone's post from the game thread. With a day game today, each catcher is probably going to get one game. At least in the recent past, Wilson has probably spent more time with Romero and Garver more time with Odorizzi. These matches also pair young guy with experienced guy.

So far, so good.

I think they wanted Wilson for his speed on the basepaths. That attempt to score from second was hilarious.

Brock Beauchamp · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 3:50 AM, TheLeviathan said:
Is it true what the broadcast said that he's only allowed 7 HRs in his entire professional career?

Holy crap, it is.

I... just... wow.

Brock Beauchamp · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 12:07 PM, Tomj14 said:
The question I have is did the Twins wait too long to promote, or was it perfect timing?

Romero has pitched all of 324 MiLB innings.

By comparison, Berrios pitched ~230 innings in AAA alone.

It's pretty hard to make the argument the Twins waited too long on Romero.

IndianaTwin · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 12:27 PM, rdehring said:
Not concerned that he has only three pitches because his fastball is at least two different pitches the way he moves it. Needs some work on his change, hopefully getting it a couple mph slower.

Romero and Berrios or Berrios and Romero? Damn, this is exciting.

And like Doc Bauer, I have been thinking about his innings during both of his starts. What might work well when Trevor May is ready to join the Twins in July, move him to the bullpen. Limiting him to a couple innings every five days would cut the # of innings from say 30 (5*6) to 10. Then get him back into his regular starting spot in September so he is available for game #1 or game #2 in the playoffs.

This plan would solve two problems, keeping Romero available for the playoffs AND creating a spot for Trevor May when he is available. Now, how do we find a spot for Santana next month?

An injury WILL happen.

It looks like May may well be ready before July. If an injury happens about the time May is ready, slip May into the five-man rotation. If it doesn't, go to a six-man rotation for a while. I'm guessing Romero may go to the pen at some point to protect innings, but I'd rather not see him go to the bullpen and then back to the rotation. But a six-man rotation would save a few bullets for him. It also eases May back in. And other than potentially Berrios, it's not like anyone from among Berrios/Gibson/Lynn/Odorizzi is so dominant that you have to keep them on a five day pattern to get them into as many games as possible.

And then when an injury happens (or someone pitches themselves out of the mix), you're set to go back to a five-man rotation.

And looking down the road, it may be a similar situation if/when Santana is ready, depending on who is healthy and pitching well at the time.

Oh, and give Gonsalves the 26th-man start on the June 5 doubleheader and let him pound the door in to the rotation. (Or maybe June 5 is May's introduction to the rotation -- does a 26th man have to go back down?)

By the way, how long until Mejia is available?

(Isn't Twins Daily more fun this week than last?)

Brock Beauchamp · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 4:12 AM, TheLeviathan said:
Fair enough....I guess I meant he'll probably need a third pitch with a bit more of a difference. Then again, we've seen some really good pitchers have success with a few dominant pitches.

I just tend to think a high-end starter needs one more. And he has so many ingredients otherwise to be brilliant.

(Or maybe he has it and just didn't have command of it to throw tonight, I don't know. We're only two starts in to watching this kid)

If the movement and command we're seeing is legit, he doesn't need a third pitch right now. He'll get by on sheer power and movement at the MLB level.

Of course, if he develops a more adequate third pitch, he could be an even better pitcher... but hopefully he can work on refining that change at the MLB level and during the offseason.

I wonder what the Twins plan to do with him if he sticks at the MLB level, which is sure as hell looks like he's going to do. The guy doesn't have many MiLB innings and only logged 125 IP last season.

bighat · May 8, 2018

Romero

Berrios

Santana

Gibby

Odorizzi

Lynn better watch his back, when Big Erv returns it's going to be The Hunger Games. And no, Lance, I'm not talking about a donut-eating contest.

Number3 · May 8, 2018

Lets keep our fingers crossed that Romero survives the biggest test....time. No question he has passed the "ready for the big leagues" test. Also appears to be unflappable.

I hope Odorizzi gets some early run support today; he deserves it.

Really like Wilson behind the plate

If they keep playing like this with this lineup, we might be saying Byron who? Miguel who? To say nothing of Polanco.

Maybe the silver lining in these injuries is that it forced Molitor to put Mauer where he belongs in the lineup...leadoff. According to Molitor he had been kicking around the idea for a long time. No need to rush things I guess, it is an earthshaking decision to have to make that may affect the future of mankind and is irreversible if it doesn't pan out.

Brock Beauchamp · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 1:37 PM, Number3 said:
Maybe the silver lining in these injuries is that it forced Molitor to put Mauer where he belongs in the lineup...leadoff. According to Molitor he had been kicking around the idea for a long time. No need to rush things I guess, it is an earthshaking decision to have to make that may affect the future of mankind and is irreversible if it doesn't pan out.

I suspect the reason Mauer hasn't been leading off is pretty simple: Brian Dozier.

Dozier has said multiple times how much he likes leading off. Now, as a manager I would have pushed harder to convince Brian he's more productive further down the lineup but if a team leader and veteran is dead-set on doing something that doesn't really hurt the team that much (but isn't optimal), I don't know whether that's the hill you die upon as the skipper of an MLB club.

slash129 · May 8, 2018

Before yesterday's start, I was looking at how the turns would stack up for Romero. @ St. Louis and @ Anaheim looked pretty daunting, especially when you could back Romero up a day and still have Odorizzi pitch on regular rest @ Anaheim on Sunday. I thought to just push Romero into Monday and let him be @ Home vs. Seattle. The way he seemed to just take the whole first road start in stride against a first place team on the road made me change my mind. Let's see what he's made of in Anaheim vs. Trout and Co. Ohtani may even be on the bump for the Angels, so that could be a really good pressure cooker test for the young Romero. The hitters seeing 97 on the edge may have the tougher assignment.

Tom Froemming · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 4:00 AM, twinsfanstreif said:
He does have 3, FB, Slider, Change Up.

He throws a four seamer and two seamer, so that makes four pitches. Those two are basically the same velocity, but the two seamer/sinker has some more arm-side action. He's been throwing one of those fastballs 66% of the time, the slider around 25% and then the changeup has been more of a show-me pitch at around 9%.

On 5/8/2018 at 4:01 AM, bluechipper said:
I actually thought Romero had great control. He was missing by inches and wasn't getting any leeway calls from the umpire. He is a beast.

His control was fine, he stayed in/around the zone pretty good, but if you watched where Wilson was setting up, Romero was missing sometimes very badly. Like Wilson would setup inside and Romero would miss outside.

But, command is probably never going to be Romero's strong suit anyway, and there are a lot of pitchers who manage to pitch well in the bigs with a command issues. It certainly didn't hold Fernando back at all tonight.

It also seemed like he was a bit sharper in the fifth and sixth innings. It was almost as if the pitch he drilled Kelly in the ribs on (96 mph, ouch) sort of forced him to focus more on spotting his pitches.

Again, that's all just my take, somebody else could've seen things way different. Either way, a damn impressive performance.

On 5/8/2018 at 4:13 AM, dgwills said:
Yay! I love seeing prospects work out. Have to mention his English. Great pronunciation. Needs a bit more flow and variety though. I'm sure he'll get by the first cy young award

Jeff Johnson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote a nice article back in 2014 about his efforts to learn English. Pretty impressive that he's already comfortable enough to handle his postgame interviews.

On 5/8/2018 at 12:07 PM, Tomj14 said:
Hey looked great.
The question I have is did the Twins wait too long to promote, or was it perfect timing?
IMO if he can come in and do this in the majors, they waited too long, but we won't really know until he gets a few more starts under his belt.

If anything I'd have thought this was way, way too early. That's more because of his experience than his age (23). Romero has only thrown 324 1/3 innings in the minors. Berrios, also still only 23, pitched 591 2/3 innings down on the farm, including 229 2/3 in Triple A alone.

A guy with this little experience against upper-level hitters shouldn't be able to navigate a Major League lineup. As impressive as he's been physically, I think the mental side is even more impressive to me. For him to just jump right into the bigs and do this, I don't care how talented you are, that takes some really impressive mental makeup.

Dantes929 · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 1:24 PM, IndianaTwin said:
An injury WILL happen.

It looks like May may well be ready before July. If an injury happens about the time May is ready, slip May into the five-man rotation. If it doesn't, go to a six-man rotation for a while. I'm guessing Romero may go to the pen at some point to protect innings, but I'd rather not see him go to the bullpen and then back to the rotation. But a six-man rotation would save a few bullets for him. It also eases May back in. And other than potentially Berrios, it's not like anyone from among Berrios/Gibson/Lynn/Odorizzi is so dominant that you have to keep them on a five day pattern to get them into as many games as possible.

And then when an injury happens (or someone pitches themselves out of the mix), you're set to go back to a five-man rotation.

And looking down the road, it may be a similar situation if/when Santana is ready, depending on who is healthy and pitching well at the time.

Oh, and give Gonsalves the 26th-man start on the June 5 doubleheader and let him pound the door in to the rotation. (Or maybe June 5 is May's introduction to the rotation -- does a 26th man have to go back down?)

By the way, how long until Mejia is available?

(Isn't Twins Daily more fun this week than last?)

It would be a good problem to have everyone pitching well at once. Where do you see that May will be ready before July? I would want him to build up arm strength and stamina and then also provide about a month of good results in the minors before he even makes the Twins. Lets see him do it first and then figure out what to do with him. If everyone is pitching well he may very well end up back in the pen which would be great also.

Steve Lein · May 8, 2018

Romero's got four pitches as far as I can tell:

4-seamer

2-seamer

Slider

Changeup

I'm actually not all concerned about his changeup coming in that fast because it's got a bunch more drop on it than his 2-seamer. From what I've seen, he controls that changeup down in the zone well, and his 2-seamer is almost a riser with the arm-side run he gets. If he starts leaving changeups up in the zone they'll get hammered at that speed, but I haven't seen that issue yet.

Dantes929 · May 8, 2018

As far as Romero goes, exciting as all get out. Dose of reality though says Rosario's catch was huge.

2nd dose says he has a 2.83 career ERA in the minors which is excellent but doesn't equate to a 0.00 ERA over a sustained period in the bigs. If he is anywhere north of 60% quality starts with another 10-20% failing because of not reaching 6 full innings that would be fantastic.

Tomj14 · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 1:22 PM, Brock Beauchamp said:
Romero has pitched all of 324 MiLB innings.

By comparison, Berrios pitched ~230 innings in AAA alone.

It's pretty hard to make the argument the Twins waited too long on Romero.

I am not saying it is or isn't, but comparing him to Berrios doesn't mean anything, you could compare him to others that have about the same innings that have done really well.

So far it looks great but maybe a week earlier stops a 8 game losing straight.

It doesn't matte since this is what happened, I just it interesting that sometimes waiting too long can hurt a team.

IndianaTwin · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 1:49 PM, Dantes929 said:
It would be a good problem to have everyone pitching well at once. Where do you see that May will be ready before July? I would want him to build up arm strength and stamina and then also provide about a month of good results in the minors before he even makes the Twins. Lets see him do it first and then figure out what to do with him. If everyone is pitching well he may very well end up back in the pen which would be great also.

I'd welcome seeing any updates, but I was basing it on earlier language of "May or June" and "first half," plus that he threw 45 pitches in an extended spring training game on May 1. Anyone seen anything since then?

I'm with you, though, in suggesting that particularly with the presence of Romero and if he and other guys stay healthy and reasonably effective, there's no need to rush May.

The June 5 suggestion was a late addition to my note, and I'd guess it would take a best-case scenario for that to happen. At the same time, it could be a helpful checkpoint if he was approaching ready and the assumption is going back down for a couple more starts to ensure readiness. As helpful as minor league experience is, major league hitters have a way of telling you if you are major league ready.

Edited May 8, 2018 by IndianaTwin

Brock Beauchamp · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 2:05 PM, Tomj14 said:
I am not saying it is or isn't, but comparing him to Berrios doesn't mean anything, you could compare him to others that have about the same innings that have done really well.
So far it looks great but maybe a week earlier stops a 8 game losing straight.

It doesn't matte since this is what happened, I just it interesting that sometimes waiting too long can hurt a team.

Actually, Berrios is a really good comp. They were roughly the same age, same handedness, and Jose was actually a much more highly regarded prospect, climbing all the way to the top 20 on a few lists. Berrios also climbed through the minors without a single injury or stumble along the way. The same can't be said for Romero.

But Romero literally couldn't have been promoted more quickly without the team looking desperate and irrational.

2015: Didn't pitch.

2016: 90 IP.

2017: 125 IP.

2018: The mighty snow-filled April of 2018 meant the Twins didn't need a fifth starter until April 22nd. Romero made his first start on May 2nd.

Tom Froemming · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 2:05 PM, Tomj14 said:
I am not saying it is or isn't, but comparing him to Berrios doesn't mean anything, you could compare him to others that have about the same innings that have done really well.

If we want to look at the other extreme, the Dodgers have already had to turn to Walker Buehler, who's only thrown 106 2/3 innings in the minors. Much like Romero, that doesn't seem to be having any negative impact on him, as Buehler has a 1.13 ERA over three starts for LA.

Some guys need more time in the minors, some don't. I have no clue how a team would go about identifying the difference, but I'm pretty certain both Romero and Buehler haven't ridden their last bus at this point. They'll both likely have some flaws exposed at some point and will need to go back down to iron things out.

But, you never know.

TheLeviathan · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 1:25 PM, Brock Beauchamp said:
I wonder what the Twins plan to do with him if he sticks at the MLB level, which is sure as hell looks like he's going to do. The guy doesn't have many MiLB innings and only logged 125 IP last season.

I think that's the new thinking in baseball. Arms have a clock and every pitch thrown in MiLB is one less you get at the big league level before injury/wear & tear reduce effectiveness.

I don't see any reason why they can't work with him to get better at the major league level.

Brock Beauchamp · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 2:21 PM, TheLeviathan said:
I think that's the new thinking in baseball. Arms have a clock and every pitch thrown in MiLB is one less you get at the big league level before injury/wear & tear reduce effectiveness.

I don't see any reason why they can't work with him to get better at the major league level.

I generally agree and I think the front office is smart enough to ignore the Verducci Effect... but that doesn't mean young pitchers without a lot of miles can jump straight into a full MLB season. There's a pretty good chance he wears down under the stress of a 200 IP pace as a 23 year old who has pitched only 215 innings over the past two seasons combined.

I hope it doesn't happen but there's a solid chance it does.

TheLeviathan · May 8, 2018

Very true, I hadn't considered how this will stretch him out more than he is accustomed to. But, unfortunately, there's only one way to prepare for that and that's just to do it.

It's nice to feel like we have some pitching depth to call on for the rotation though, if that does happen.

Brock Beauchamp · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 2:28 PM, TheLeviathan said:
Very true, I hadn't considered how this will stretch him out more than he is accustomed to. But, unfortunately, there's only one way to prepare for that and that's just to do it.

It's nice to feel like we have some pitching depth to call on for the rotation though, if that does happen.

Yep, the depth will likely be the key to this season if the Twins end up making the postseason.

I'm hoping the team starts liberally using off-days to let Romero pitch every 6-8 days through July and August if he's showing signs of wear. Well, assuming he has been effective and the team is eyeing October, that is.

Add a couple of days between starts and the team can shave off ~20 IP on the season pretty easily.

SirLoin · May 8, 2018

Based on his stuff, and his temperament, this is our future ace. The potential of a Romero-Berrios-Gonsalves front end has me salivating like, well, me in front of a two pound brisket.

ashbury · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 4:03 AM, DocBauer said:
I hate to ask because it just sounds so incredulous, but is his change too hard?

To my simple understanding, the key for the changeup is to have the delivery be indistinguishable from the fastball, and second is maintaining command, so if there's any risk of him tipping the pitch or losing location in the process of trying to make it be "better", I'd say leave it alone.

Tomj14 · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 2:19 PM, Tom Froemming said:
If we want to look at the other extreme, the Dodgers have already had to turn to Walker Buehler, who's only thrown 106 2/3 innings in the minors. Much like Romero, that doesn't seem to be having any negative impact on him, as Buehler has a 1.13 ERA over three starts for LA.

Some guys need more time in the minors, some don't. I have no clue how a team would go about identifying the difference, but I'm pretty certain both Romero and Buehler haven't ridden their last bus at this point. They'll both likely have some flaws exposed at some point and will need to go back down to iron things out.

But, you never know.

IMO if a pitcher has two pitches that can get guys out in the minors no problem, it seems like a waste to have him spent extra years working on the 3rd and 4th pitch in the minors. But I will say if the team notices a guy is a bit fragile, it might be a good idea to have them in the minors working on pitches.

Doubles · May 8, 2018

On 5/8/2018 at 4:09 AM, ashburyjohn said:
OrLAAANdo... CePEDa!

FerNAAANdo... RoMERo!

Sounds like a star in the making, to me.

Are you inferring Romero embraces pharmaceuticals?

mlhouse · May 8, 2018

This is another portrait of the idiotic Twins prospect management. They are so conservative and cautious, almost wanting our prospects to fail somewhere, that they only reluctantly call them up.

But guess what...... sometimes the guys you are sitting on are much better than the mediocrity that they have trotted out.

I doubt Romero is going to go through the rest of the season without giving up a run, and I bet he will have some games were he doesn't pitch well. But the Twins need to just stick with him and let him develop at the MLB level. That is were he can iron out any problems. Sending him back to the minors were he has already dominated does nothing.

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