JoJo Romero

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #21 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Romero bounced back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019 and appeared to figure it out at the end of the season, capped by a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. The Phillies brought him to the alternate site in 2020 and called him up for his big league debut Aug. 21. Romero went on to make 12 relief appearances and allowed 13 hits and nine earned runs in 10.2 innings, albeit with 10 strikeouts against only two walks.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: After showing signs of decreased velocity on his fastball, Romero sat 95 mph in the major leagues and showed an average heater he was capable of leaning on against big league hitters. He's worked to throw his slider harder, tighter and more effectively in the strike zone and showed a high-spin breaking ball in the mid-80s in his debut, but at times hitters were able to tee off on it. Romero's changeup was previously an above-average pitch, but was used infrequently in 2020. He has average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Phillies have a need for bullpen arms. Romero will likely continue to pitch in that role in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #15 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: After a dominating 2017 season, it looked like Romero was a little over a year away from joining the Phillies rotation. Two years later, his timetable has slowed down and the optimism regarding his future major league role also has been significantly tempered.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Romero's stuff ranged dramatically from intriguing to awful at different parts of 2019. In his worst outings, he struggled to top 90 with his fastball and had no above-average pitch. That led to a demotion back to Double-A Reading. He turned his season around there and he pitched better in a return to Triple-A, using a low-90s fastball and the above-average changeup that has been his calling card. In shorter stints of relief work in the Arizona Fall League, he was 94-96 mph in shorter stints while still showing a harder and tighter slider. Over the course of the season, it was an average slider at best getting more chases than swings and misses out of the strike zone. He does have average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Romero's inconsistency leads many to see a future in the bullpen, but he was just added to the 40-man roster.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #5 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Coming off a strong first full season in 2017, Romero opened 2018 with a 7.18 ERA in his first five starts. After that, he posted a 2.69 ERA with an 83-to-30 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 80.1 innings before a strained oblique in July shut him down for the year.
  
  Scouting Report: Romero has a diverse pitch mix, and early in 2018, he was throwing them all at hitters and trying to get them to chase. That approach didn't work for Romero, however, because he often fell behind in the count and batters were able to do damage against him. After a rough start, he altered his approach by attacking hitters more with his power sinker and changeup. As his fastball command improved, so did the results. Romero mixes four- and two-seam fastballs from the low 90s up to 96 mph. He's at his best when he's attacking with his sinker and changeup--which flashes above-average--to mess with the timing of hitters. Romero has an average curveball and sprinkles in a slider and cutter as well. He's an athletic pitcher with quick feet to help him control the running game.
  
  The Future: With three average to plus pitches and good control from the left side, Romero projects as a potential No. 3 or 4 starter. He should head to Triple-A Lehigh Valley for 2019 with a chance to help the big league rotation after the all-star break.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #6 prospect in 2018
  Romero was an athletic lefty with an average fastball and a four-pitch mix when the Phillies drafted him in the fourth round in 2016 and signed him for $800,000. In Romero's first full season, improved velocity helped his stock tick up as he cruised through two Class A levels. After throwing 89-92 mph and touching 94 in college, Romero jumped to 91-94 in 2017 and topped out at 96. An excellent athlete, he repeats his delivery and locates his fastball well to both sides of the plate. Romero's changeup and curveball each earn 55-60 grades on the 20-80 scale, with his changeup the more consistently reliable weapon. He has a fringe-average slider that he mixes in as well to give hitters another look. Romero throws all of his pitches for strikes and is studious in his preparation. He does the little things well, too, with quick feet to hold runners close and field his position. Romero's polish should help him continue to move quickly through the system, with a chance to crack the big league rotation by 2019 and develop into a No. 3 or 4 starter.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #158 prospect in 2016 draft
  Romero pitched effectively out of the bullpen for Nevada as a freshman, striking out more than a batter an inning, before transferring to junior college powerhouse Yavapai College for the 2016 season. At 6-foot, 185 pounds, Romero shows excellent athleticism on the mound with the makings of four solid pitches. He put up strong numbers for Yavapai, posting a 3.82 ERA and yielding only four homeruns in 77.2 regular season innings. He pitched even more effectively during the post-season, helping the Roughriders capture the regional championship. Romero works with a fastball in the 89-92 mph range and reaches as high as 94, showing good sink. His best secondary pitch is his changeup, which is at least an average. He has a clean delivery and his arm works well. While some scouts see Romero as a bullpen arm at the next level, multiple evaluators have compared him to Jason Vargas, as a shorter lefthander with a durable arm capable of pitching at the back end of a big league rotation.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Florida State League #15 prospect in 2017
  Romero thrived in his first full year in the minors, finishing 11th overall with a 2.16 ERA in 129 innings. He joined Clearwater's rotation in July and didn't give up an earned run in four of his nine starts that lasted more than an inning. The lefty overmatched lower-level hitters with a mix of pitches that kept hitters from sitting on any one offering. Romero can reach 96 mph with his four-seam fastball but generally pitched at 91-94 mph, and he also used both a cut fastball and two-seamer that sat in the upper 80s and helped him pitch to both sides of the plate. He further flummoxed hitters with a changeup that played off his heater, and showed the ability to keep his average curvball and slider distinct from each other. He's a potential polished back-of-the-rotation starter who could continue to move quickly. "He's a very good athlete, with very good feet," Clearwater manager Shawn Williams said. "He tracks, hitters, has a plan and keeps up with his pitch patterns. He definitely pitches with conviction."

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Romero bounced back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019 and appeared to figure it out at the end of the season, capped by a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. The Phillies brought him to the alternate site in 2020 and called him up for his big league debut Aug. 21. Romero went on to make 12 relief appearances and allowed 13 hits and nine earned runs in 10.2 innings, albeit with 10 strikeouts against only two walks.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: After showing signs of decreased velocity on his fastball, Romero sat 95 mph in the major leagues and showed an average heater he was capable of leaning on against big league hitters. He's worked to throw his slider harder, tighter and more effectively in the strike zone and showed a high-spin breaking ball in the mid-80s in his debut, but at times hitters were able to tee off on it. Romero's changeup was previously an above-average pitch, but was used infrequently in 2020. He has average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Phillies have a need for bullpen arms. Romero will likely continue to pitch in that role in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Romero bounced back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019 and appeared to figure it out at the end of the season, capped by a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. The Phillies brought him to the alternate site in 2020 and called him up for his big league debut Aug. 21. Romero went on to make 12 relief appearances and allowed 13 hits and nine earned runs in 10.2 innings, albeit with 10 strikeouts against only two walks.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: After showing signs of decreased velocity on his fastball, Romero sat 95 mph in the major leagues and showed an average heater he was capable of leaning on against big league hitters. He's worked to throw his slider harder, tighter and more effectively in the strike zone and showed a high-spin breaking ball in the mid-80s in his debut, but at times hitters were able to tee off on it. Romero's changeup was previously an above-average pitch, but was used infrequently in 2020. He has average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Phillies have a need for bullpen arms. Romero will likely continue to pitch in that role in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: After a dominating 2017 season, it looked like Romero was a little over a year away from joining the Phillies rotation. Two years later, his timetable has slowed down and the optimism regarding his future major league role also has been significantly tempered.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Romero’s stuff ranged dramatically from intriguing to awful at different parts of 2019. In his worst outings, he struggled to top 90 with his fastball and had no above-average pitch. That led to a demotion back to Double-A Reading. He turned his season around there and he pitched better in a return to Triple-A, using a low-90s fastball and the above-average changeup that has been his calling card. In shorter stints of relief work in the Arizona Fall League, he was 94-96 mph in shorter stints while still showing a harder and tighter slider. Over the course of the season, it was an average slider at best getting more chases than swings and misses out of the strike zone. He does have average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Romero’s inconsistency leads many to see a future in the bullpen, but he was just added to the 40-man roster.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: After a dominating 2017 season, it looked like Romero was a little over a year away from joining the Phillies rotation. Two years later, his timetable has slowed down and the optimism regarding his future major league role also has been significantly tempered.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Romero's stuff ranged dramatically from intriguing to awful at different parts of 2019. In his worst outings, he struggled to top 90 with his fastball and had no above-average pitch. That led to a demotion back to Double-A Reading. He turned his season around there and he pitched better in a return to Triple-A, using a low-90s fastball and the above-average changeup that has been his calling card. In shorter stints of relief work in the Arizona Fall League, he was 94-96 mph in shorter stints while still showing a harder and tighter slider. Over the course of the season, it was an average slider at best getting more chases than swings and misses out of the strike zone. He does have average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Romero's inconsistency leads many to see a future in the bullpen, but he was just added to the 40-man roster.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Things didn’t click early for Romero, who after five starts had a 7.18 ERA and a 17-11 K-BB mark in 26.1 innings. Since then going into the Eastern League all-star break, Romero rebounded with a 2.95 ERA, 79 strikeouts and 28 walks in 73.1 innings. Whereas early on he was trying to get hitters to chase and ended up falling behind in counts, Romero got back to emphasizing strengths with his low-to-mid-90s sinker and above-average changeup. Romero has the potential to develop into a No. 3 starter.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Romero was an athletic lefty with an average fastball and a four-pitch mix when the Phillies drafted him in the fourth round in 2016 and signed him for $800,000. In Romero's first full season, improved velocity helped his stock tick up as he cruised through two Class A levels. Scouting Report: After throwing 89-92 mph and touching 94 in college, Romero jumped to 91-94 in 2017 and topped out at 96. An excellent athlete, he repeats his delivery and locates his fastball well to both sides of the plate. Romero's changeup and curveball each earn 55-60 grades on the 20-80 scale, with his changeup the more consistently reliable weapon. He has a fringe-average slider that he mixes in as well to give hitters another look. Romero throws all of his pitches for strikes and is studious in his preparation. He does the little things well, too, with quick feet to hold runners close and field his position. The Future: Romero's polish should help him continue to move quickly through the system, with a chance to crack the big league rotation by 2019 and develop into a No. 3 or 4 starter.