Fernando Romero Stats & Scouting Report

IP	69
ERA	5.217
WHIP	1.58
BB/9	3.913
SO/9	8.217

Full name Fernando Ernesto Romero
Born 12/24/1994 in San Juan De La Maguana, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 05/02/2018

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Signed less than two months from his 17th birthday, the late-blooming Romero was discovered at a select tournament in Jupiter, Fla. He signed for $200,000 after an unexpected bidding war broke out. Rated the Twins' No. 12 prospect after his first Gulf Coast League season, Romero was limited to just three starts in 2014-15 due to Tommy John surgery and a knee injury suffered doing box jumps. He roared back onto the radar with a standout 2016 and mostly built on those gains last season, although he did fade late due in part to a shoulder impingement that landed him on the disabled list. Despite lacking leverage and an ideal pitcher's frame, Romero shows the potential for three above-average pitches. He touches 98 mph with his fastball and pitches at 92-96 mph with heavy sink, although his lack of elite arm speed and a max-effort delivery have raised concerns about his durability. Rated the No. 11 prospect in the Southern League, his high-80s slider shows sharp tilt when he stays on top, but it tends to flatten out when he drifts in his delivery. His command can be erratic, and some see him eventually turning into a Francisco Rodriguez-type late-inning piece. His changeup is just average, allowing lefties to post an OPS that was 116 points higher than righties could muster. Added to the 40-man roster after the 2016 season, Romero twice was bypassed in favor of fellow Dominican righthander Felix Jorge when the Twins needed a spot start last summer. Ticketed for Triple-A Rochester to start the year, Romero should get his opportunity soon. He projects as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter if he can round out his third pitch.
The Twins have had high hopes for Romero since they signed him as a 16-year-old. Tommy John surgery in June 2014 wiped out his last two seasons. He missed all of 2015 and made just three starts the season prior. Finally healthy, Romero took a step forward in 2016, thriving at two levels and making it through the season unscathed. The Twins were pleased with Romero's conditioning work during Tommy John rehab, and he came into 2016 leaner and stronger than he was before the surgery. Though just 6 feet tall, Romero flirts with triple digits, routinely working 94-97 mph with an electric, double-plus fastball. He pairs that fastball with a firm 86-92 mph slider--a wipeout pitch when it's working--and an average changeup that he'll need to throw more. With two potential high-end pitches, Romero might possess the best raw stuff in the Twins organization, but he needs to polish his command and his approach. Romero brings an attacking, aggressive mindset to the mound. However, he can sometimes fall into the trap of trying to strike out every hitter he faces, elevating his pitch counts. Making it through a full season healthy was an important step for Romero, and he'll pitch with few restrictions in 2017. He has No. 2 or No. 3 starter ceiling.
Though Romero has made just three starts over the past two seasons due to Tommy John surgery in June 2014, he made it back to the mound by the instructional league last fall. Featuring a loose arm and a projectable frame, his fastball sat at 92-94 mph before surgery and touched 97 mph. His 78-81 mph curveball has shown down action, and his changeup has plus potential. His delivery is smooth and repeatable, and his mound presence and focus are strong. Though he lacks leverage at his height, he has allowed just one home run through his first 88 innings. Romero used all that downtime to improve his body. He projects as a No. 2 or 3 starter and could return to the Midwest League to start the year.
Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $200,000 in November 2011 at age 16, Romero vaulted all the way to No. 12 on last year's Twins prospect list. He got off to a solid start at Rookie-level Elizabethton in 2014 before elbow problems ended his year after just three outings. Despite having Tommy John surgery in June, Romero remains a solid starter prospect who should be ready for the start of the 2015 Appalachian League season in mid-June. He has allowed only one home run through 88 pro innings. Blessed with a loose, powerful arm and a projectable frame, his double-plus fastball sat at 92-94 mph before surgery and touched 97 mph. His 78-81 mph power curveball has serious down action, and his changeup has a chance to be a plus pitch as well. He easily repeats his smooth, low-effort delivery and maintains focus on the mound. Though he has experience with both starting and relieving, Romero's surgical hurdle likely means he'll spend the next couple of seasons building up his innings total in the low minors. He could reach a ceiling as a No. 3 starter if his curveball plays as a plus pitch.
Signed for $220,000 in November 2011 at age 16, Romero made the jump to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2013. Though it was Australian lefty Lewis Thorpe who headlined the staff, Romero quietly experienced a quantum leap of his own. Over his final month he struck out 21 and walked three, and he still has yet to allow a professional home run. Featuring a loose, powerful arm and a sturdy frame, his fastball sits at 92-94 mph and touches 97. It's already a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Romero's power curveball has impressive down action at 78-81 mph, and his changeup shows signs of being a plus pitch as well. His low-effort delivery has required no substantial tweaks since signing, and his improved powers of concentration helped him repeat his delivery and reach peak efficiency. He split his workload evenly between starting and relieving and could continue to keep a hand in both as he likely heads to a low Class A Cedar Rapids staff in 2014 that should include Kohl Stewart, Felix Jorge and lefties Thorpe and Stephen Gonsalves. With the pitch mix and ceiling Romero has, the Twins figure to get him as many innings as possible.

Minor League Top Prospects

Romero recorded a 1.93 ERA at two Class A levels in 2016, his first year back after Tommy John surgery wiped out the preceding two seasons. Promoted to the SL this season, he frequently dominated while flashing three above-average pitches and ranking fourth in the league with 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Romero pitched at 95 mph early in the season while topping out at 98, but his arm speed slowed visibly late in the season as he cruised to a career-high 125 innings. His high-80s slider shows sharp, tilting action when he stays on top of the pitch. The pitch flattens out when he drifts in his delivery, but he generates a high groundball rate with both pitches when everything is clicking. When Romero isn't locating his slider, his fastball becomes hittable because he lacks fine command. Romero must improve his average changeup to combat lefthanders and continue to prove his durability.
The Twins handled Romero carefully in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, a procedure that caused him to miss all but three starts in the last two seasons. He joined Fort Myers in June after five starts at low Class A and gave up more than two runs just twice, finishing with 20.1 consecutive scoreless innings, with 28 strikeouts and two walks, as he found his groove. "He's a 'wow' guy," Fort Myers manager Jeff Smith said. "He was 94-100 (mph) with his fastball every time out." Romero is strong-bodied but short for a starter, yet he keeps his fastball, average changeup and 86-92 mph slider down in the zone. Both his change and slider, at times a wipeout pitch with filthy late life and power, need consistency, but he gained it as the season progressed. Romero had the firmest stuff in the league among starting pitchers--and his own Fort Myers pitching staff also included top-10-overall picks Tyler Jay and Kohl Stewart--giving him a fairly high floor as a potential impact reliever. If he can remain a starter, Romero could give the Twins what they have long lacked: a power arm at the front of the rotation.

Scouting Reports

Track Record: Signed less than two months from his 17th birthday, the late-blooming Romero was discovered at a select tournament in Jupiter, Fla. He was limited to just three starts in 2014 and 2015 after having Tommy John surgery and a knee injury. He roared back onto the radar with a standout 2016 and mostly built on those gains in 2017 at Double-A Chattanooga, though he faded due in part to a shoulder impingement. Scouting Report: Despite lacking leverage or an ideal pitcher's frame, Romero shows the potential for three above-average pitches. He touches 98 mph with his fastball and pitches at 92-96 mph with heavy sink, though his lack of elite arm speed and a max-effort delivery have raised concerns about his durability. His high-80s slider shows sharp tilt when he stays on top, but it flattens out when he drifts in his delivery. His command can be erratic, and some see him eventually turning into a reliever. His changeup is average. The Future: Added to the 40-man roster after the 2016 season, Romero twice was bypassed in favor of fellow righthander Felix Jorge when the Twins needed a spot start in 2017. Ticketed for Triple-A Rochester, Romero has a ceiling of No. 2 or No. 3 starter.
Background: The Twins have had high hopes for Romero since they signed him as a 16-year-old. Tommy John surgery in June 2014 wiped out his last two seasons. He missed all of 2015 and made just three starts the season prior. Finally healthy, Romero took astep forward in 2016, thriving at two levels and making it through the season unscathed. Scouting Report: The Twins were pleased with Romero's conditioning work during Tommy John rehab, and he came into 2016 leaner and stronger than he was before the surgery. Though just 6 feet tall, Romero flirts with triple digits, routinely working 94-97 mph with an electric, double-plus fastball. He pairs that fastball with a firm 86-92 mph slider--a wipeout pitch when it's working--and an average changeup that he'll need to throw more. With two potential high-end pitches, Romero might possess the best raw stuff in the Twins organization, but he needs to polish his command and his approach. Romero brings an attacking, aggressive mindset to the mound. However, he can sometimes fall into the trap of trying to strike out every hitter he faces, elevating his pitch counts.

The Future: Making it through a full season healthy was an important step for Romero, and he'll pitch with few restrictions in 2017. He has No. 2 or No. 3 starter ceiling.
The Twins handled Romero carefully in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, a procedure that caused him to miss all but three starts in the last two seasons. He joined Fort Myers in June after five starts at low Class A and gave up more than two runs just twice, finishing with 20.1 consecutive scoreless innings, with 28 strikeouts and two walks, as he found his groove. "He's a 'wow' guy," Fort Myers manager Jeff Smith said. "He was 94-100 (mph) with his fastball every time out." Romero is strong-bodied but short for a starter, yet he keeps his fastball, average changeup and 86-92 mph slider down in the zone. Both his change and slider, at times a wipeout pitch with filthy late life and power, need consistency, but he gained it as the season progressed. Romero had the firmest stuff in the league among starting pitchers--and his own Fort Myers pitching staff also included top-10-overall picks Tyler Jay and Kohl Stewart--giving him a fairly high floor as a potential impact reliever. If he can remain a starter, Romero could give the Twins what they have long lacked: a power arm at the front of the rotation.