Drafted in the 4th round (111th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005 (signed for $300,000).
View Draft Report
All of Stanford's projected early-round picks have underachieved. Junior LHP Mark Romanczuk entered Stanford as an unsigned fifth-round pick of the Devil Rays after being clocked at 92-93 mph at a Delaware high school. His fastball now tops out at 89-90 and is more commonly 85-87. He lacks a true out pitch and relies now mainly on command to win. His best pitch has become a hard slurve, and he mixes it with a big, slow curve and a decent changeup. He's a master at exploiting a college hitter's weaknesses and won more games than any pitcher in school history in his first two years, going 23-5. He also went 8-1 over the last two summers for Team USA. But he was 5-5, 4.11 this year, raising the possibility that he might not even be drafted. Teams are always reluctant to buy a pitcher out of Stanford eligibility--let alone one with below-average stuff who is represented by Scott Boras.
Download our app
Read the newest magazine issue right on your phone