JoJo Romero Is The Truth
It's been a rough go for the Phillies bullpen over the last half decade and 2020 has been no different. Matt Klentak going out and trading for mediocre Major League talent and giving up on guys like Addison Russ and Connor Seabold are the types of moves that keep me up at night wondering why we still employ such an incompetent General Manager.
But it looks like there was a certified weapon just waiting to be called up and given an opportunity to shine in the bullpen all along. While he struggled all of 2019 in the Minor Leagues, I have been championing this prospect since 2016. Ladies and gentlemen, JoJo Romero is an absolute slam dunk.
Even before crushing Red Bull cans on his arm before running in from the bullpen, Romero has pitched extremely well this year for the Phils. He's appeared in nine games this season pitching to a 2.89 ERA, giving up seven hits, four earned runs, and logging 9.6 K/9. His Fastball has hit 98 MPH and his Sinker absolutely fools opposing hitters (.167 BAA).
Coming out of college a lot of Phillies fans, including myself, thought Romero would be an eventual lefty starter in the rotation that would pair up with Aaron Nola, Sixto Sanchez (sigh), and Spencer Howard. Seeing what Romero has done coming out of the bullpen and being one of the few constants that the 2020 Phillies can rely on as a reliever is an even bigger development for this team. Klentak is too afraid to spend money on Free Agent pitching after the unfortunate injuries to Charlie Morton and David Robertson along with Pat Neshek and Jake Arrieta just not being worth the price of what the team paid for.
Drafting has been an issue for the Phillies throughout the rebuild and it certainly seems like Romero is going to be a cornerstone piece of this bullpen for years to come. Pairing him with the likes of Hector Neris, Seranthony Dominguez (hopefully), Victor Arano (hopefully), and some of the other successful veterans on the current roster.
Even with the unreal rollercoaster that has been the 2020 season for this Phillies team, one thing is certain; JoJo Romero is going to be a majestic stallion at the backend of the bullpen for years to come.
The only thing that could make Romero even more perfect is if he made an appearance on Underground Sports Philadelphia (insert eyes emoji).