Tommy Romero (born July 8, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals.

Tommy Romero
Romero in 2019 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1997-07-08) July 8, 1997 (age 27)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 12, 2022, for the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Win–loss record1–1
Earned run average10.80
Strikeouts7
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Amateur career

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Romero graduated from Coral Springs Charter School in 2015.[1] Unselected in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at Polk State College where he played baseball.[2] After his freshman year in 2016, he transferred to Eastern Florida State College. As a sophomore in 2017, he won nine games, compiled a 1.13 ERA, and led the NJCAA in strikeouts with 136.[3][4]

Professional career

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Seattle Mariners

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After his sophomore season, Romero was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 15th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[5] Romero signed and made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona League Mariners, going 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 43 13 innings pitched.[6] He began 2018 with the Clinton LumberKings of the Single-A Midwest League.[7]

Tampa Bay Rays

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On May 25, 2018, the Mariners traded Romero and Andrew Moore to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Denard Span and Álex Colomé.[8] He was assigned to the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Single-A Midwest League, with whom he was named an All-Star.[9] In 25 total starts between Clinton and Bowling Green, he went 11-4 with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.[10] He spent a majority of the 2019 season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the High-A Florida State League, pitching to a 12-4 record with a 1.89 ERA over 23 games (18 starts), striking out 103 over 119 13 innings.[11][12] He made one spot start for the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A Southern League at the end of the season. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 since the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] That winter, he played for Criollos de Caguas of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC).[14] He also played for Puerto Rico in the 2021 Caribbean Series.[15]

To begin the 2021 season, Romero was assigned back to Montgomery, now members of the Double-A South.[16] After pitching to a 1-0 record with a 1.88 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 48 innings, he was promoted to the Durham Bulls of the Triple-A East in July.[17] He earned Triple-A East Pitcher of the Month honors for September after going 5-0 with a 0.31 ERA over five starts.[18] Over 12 total starts with Durham, Romero went 7-2 with a 3.18 ERA and seventy strikeouts over 62 13 innings.[19]

On November 19, 2021, the Rays selected Romero's contract and added him to the 40-man roster.[20] He returned to Durham to begin the 2022 season.[21] After his first start, the Rays promoted Romero to the major leagues on April 12 and he made his MLB debut that night as the starting pitcher versus the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field.[22] Coincidentally, the starting pitcher for the Athletics was Adam Oller, who was also making his MLB debut in the game.[23] He pitched 1 23 innings, giving up three earned runs on five walks, two hits, one home run, and one strikeout.[24] On July 14, Romero recorded his first career win after pitching a scoreless sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox.[25] He was designated for assignment on August 23, 2022.

Washington Nationals

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Romero was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals on August 25, 2022. He was immediately optioned to the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings.[26] On November 15, Romero was designated for assignment. On November 18, he was non–tendered by the Nationals and became a free agent.[27]

Romero re-signed with the Nationals on a minor league contract on December 14, 2022. He made 36 appearances (10 starts) for Rochester, compiling a 5–7 record and 5.44 ERA with 82 strikeouts across 87 23 innings pitched. Romero elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.[28]

San Francisco Giants

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On January 25, 2024, Romero signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants.[29] On November 6, he elected free agency.[30]

References

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  1. ^ "TOMMY ROMERO - Selective Recruiting Baseball". thesrbaseball.com. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  2. ^ reports, Ledger wire. "Browning's blast edges Mocs over Argonauts". The Ledger. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  3. ^ "Tommy Romero drafted in 15th round by Seattle Mariners". EFSC Titans. June 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  4. ^ "NJCAA". NJCAA. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  5. ^ "EFSC pitcher Romero drafted by Seattle Mariners". Florida Today. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  6. ^ "Romero Shines in First Year of Professional Baseball - South Florida Collegiate Baseball League". www.pointstreaksites.com. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  7. ^ Thoen, Ben (April 2, 2018). "2018 Mariners Minors Preview: Clinton LumberKings". Lookout Landing. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  8. ^ Johns, Greg (May 25, 2018). "Mariners acquire Colome, Span from Rays: Club sends out young arms Moore, Romero in deal to bolster depth". MLB.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Compton, Micheal (July 22, 2018). "Romero feeling at home with new team". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  10. ^ "Tommy Romero Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  11. ^ "Rays prospects and minor leagues: Josh Lowe, Biscuits improve to 2-0". April 6, 2019.
  12. ^ "Tampa Bay Rays name shortstop Wander Franco, pitcher Joe Ryan top minor-leaguers". Tampa Bay Times.
  13. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  14. ^ "Tommy Romero lanzará frente a los Caimanes de Barranquilla | Deportes | elvocero.com". February 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "Puerto Ricos starting pitcher Tommy Romero throws Editorial Stock Photo - Stock Image | Shutterstock".
  16. ^ "Projecting minor league rosters: Double-A Montgomery". April 10, 2021.
  17. ^ "Rays prospects and minor leagues: Myers, Romero earn promotions to Triple A". July 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "Minor League Baseball Announces 2021 Triple-A League Awards & All-Star Teams; Aviators catcher Carlos Pérez named to Triple-A West Team!".
  19. ^ "Durham bullies field to Best Team MiLBY Award".
  20. ^ "Rays trade Brent Honeywell, add four prospects to roster".
  21. ^ "Durham Bulls Announce 2022 Opening Day Roster".
  22. ^ "Rays' Tommy Romero: Call-up official". April 12, 2022.
  23. ^ "Both starting pitchers making MLB debut as A's visit Rays". April 12, 2022.
  24. ^ "Just for Starters: Breaking Down Tommy Romero's Debut with Rays on Tuesday". April 12, 2022.
  25. ^ "Former Coral Springs Charter Pitcher Tommy Romero Picks up 1st MLB Win". coralspringstalk.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  26. ^ Polishuk, Mark (August 25, 2022). "Nationals Claim Tommy Romero From Rays". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  27. ^ "Tommy Romero: Non-tendered after DFA". cbssports.com. November 19, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  28. ^ "2023 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. November 8, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  29. ^ "Giants Sign Tommy Romero to Minor League Deal". January 27, 2024.
  30. ^ Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2024). "Minor League Free Agents 2024". Baseball America. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
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