Romero the Real Deal?

Generally speaking, I tend to not trust rookies. They show flashes of brilliance one night and the next night they look as lost as I used to when listening to a Michael Vick postgame interview. Every once in a while, though, a rookie will come out and shine on a consistent enough basis that I’m willing to put my trust in him. This year one of those guys is Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Ricky Romero. Or, as I call him: Ricky “The Real Deal” Romero. It sounds like a sweet Boxing name, doesn’t it? In 79 innings this year Ricky has a 2.96 ERA and 1.27 WHIP and those numbers are severely inflated by two bad starts he had after coming off a month long DL stint in May. To go along with those numbers, Ricky has been racking up Wins and Strikeouts. The Real Deal is 7-3 and has 66 Strikeouts, which for those of you who are mathematically challenged is good for a 7.5 K/9 ratio. Those are very impressive numbers for a rookie Starting Pitcher. Even more impressive is what Ricky has done over the past month. In his last six starts (41.2 innings) Romero has a 4-1 record, a 1.94 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He also fanned 40 batters in that time. Romero’s numbers have been more impressive at home- a 2.31 ERA compared to 3.60 away- but after watching him throw a solid game at Yankee Stadium this week, I am ready to trust this kid as “must start” at least for the time being. Don’t make me regret it Ricky… Romero is available in 41% of Yahoo and 56% of ESPN leagues, with a 21% spike in ESPN league ownership this week alone. Better get on it, kids.

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PCB Scout

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