By Josh Boyd
January 27, 2003

The Dodgers made their second trade in three days on Monday, picking up more bench help by sending outfielder Luke Allen to the Rockies for outfielder/second baseman Jason Romano. On Saturday, Los Angeles acquired Daryle Ward from Houston for minor league righthander Ruddy Lugo.

Romano, 23, was a 1997 supplemental first-round pick by the Rangers out of Hillsborough High, the same Tampa school that produced Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and Carl Everett. Romano often was compared to Craig Biggio during his first few years in the Rangers system. After being passed up by second baseman Mike Young in Texas and subsequently shifted to the outfield, he went to the Rockies in a July 31 trade last season. His bat has tailed off since he left high Class A in 1999, and Romano has established a reputation as more of a scrappy, versatile player. Drafted as a third baseman, he was moved to second base after his first season but never refined his footwork there. He has shown dramatic improvement in the outfield, utilitzing his instincts and aggressiveness. Romano hit .286-4-37 with 18 steals in 79 Triple-A games last year, and .253-0-5 with six steals in 47 games (91 at-bats) in the majors. He has a compact, line-drive stroke and a sparkplug mentality, though his extra-base power has been absent at the upper levels. Romano has plus speed and runs the bases well. He should get some consideration for playing time at second base in Los Angeles, but more likely will settle in as a versatile option off the bench.

Allen was signed as a nondrafted free agent in 1996 out of a Georgia high school. The Dodgers shifted Allen from third base to right field in 2001 after he had committed a total of 80 errors during the previous two years. He was signed for his offensive potential, but he bulked up too much, lost a lot of his flexibility and spent parts of four seasons in Double-A. He loosened up his frame by toning his body in 2002, and it paid off as he hit .329-12-78 in 137 Triple-A games. Allen showed better bat control and plate discipline, though he still didn't produce the power expected from a right fielder. He may have boosted his value with an impressive winter performance in the Dominican (.316-7-35 in 152 at-bats), but scouts still were questioning his role in the big leagues. Some think he'll show more power as he learns which pitches to drive, and he's a proven hitter for average. Others think he's too pull-conscious, though he does hang in well against southpaws. Allen's raw arm strength grades out as a 70 on the standard 20-80 scouting scale. Managers rated him the best defensive outfielder in the Pacific Coast League. He went 1-for-7 in September, his first taste of the majors.