Seth Romero

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #26 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Romero’s career got off to a slow start, with just 14 total appearances to his name over his first three seasons in the system, none of them above Low-A, but he made up for lost time in 2020, when he arrived at the Nationals alternate training site and then debuted in the big leagues later that year. A rib injury slowed him for the first few months of 2021, which he spent primarily in Double-A.
  
  Scouting Report: Romero’s fastball sits in the low 90s, touching the mid 90s, and it’s easy velocity from the left side. His best offspeed offering is a plus slider that helped make him a natural fit for the big league bullpen in 2020. His changeup is a quality third pitch in his arsenal and he can throw all three pitches for strikes.
  
  The Future: The rib injury in 2021 was just the latest in a long line of injuries Romero has suffered in his career, which has in part allowed him to throw just 85.2 total innings in five seasons. His brief big league experience is exclusively as a reliever, but the organization wants to continue giving him the chance to prove he can start.
  
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #14 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Romero's impressive slider and changeup helped make him the 25th overall pick in 2017, but off-the-field troubles and Tommy John surgery delayed his progress. He never pitched above low Class A until 2020, when the Nationals brought him to their alternate training site and called him up for his major league debut in August. Romero made only three relief appearances before he injured his non-pitching hand when he caught himself during a fall, ending his season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Romero's fastball is a bit down from what he showed in college--he topped at 93 mph in his big league stint--but his low-80s, potentially plus slider has become even nastier. The development of his low-80s changeup, which he can throw well to both sides of the plate, is a separator. Romero is fearless and attacks the zone. He throws all of his pitches for strikes with average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Romero will continue developing as a starter in the minors. His durability and health will determine if he can stay in that role or has to transition to relief.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #10 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Romero had 290 strikeouts in 226.1 innings in his college career at Houston, but he was suspended his sophomore year and kicked off the team his junior year. The Nationals still took him 25th overall and signed him for $2.8 million. The next spring, he was sent home for violating team rules. Romero returned to strike out 34 in 25.1 innings at low Class A Hagerstown but then needed Tommy John surgery and missed the 2019 season. He was able to pitch one inning in instructional league, a dazzling outing in which he pumped strikes with all of his pitches.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: On stuff alone, Romero is among the best pitchers in the Nationals' system. The ball comes out clean in his delivery, and he's a strike-thrower. Prior to surgery, Romero had feel for locating his 93-95 mph fastball, and his plus low-80s slider drew swings and misses from batters on both sides of the plate. He throws the best slider in the Nationals' system. His changeup flashed above-average as well, giving him the raw stuff of a mid-rotation starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: At 23, Romero can still set a positive course. His main goals will be building back up and staying out of trouble, two things he has yet to show he can do.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #7 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Romero's pro career has stalled multiple times since the Nationals made him their first-round pick in 2017. He was sent home from spring training in 2018 for violating team rules and later in the year had Tommy John surgery that will sideline him for all of 2019. In college at Houston, he served multiple suspensions and eventually was kicked off the team.
  
  Scouting Report: Despite a long history of makeup concerns and new question marks about his health, Romero draws raves from scouts for the quality of his stuff on the rare occasions when he has been on the field. He has three plus pitches in his repertoire between a fastball that sits in the mid-90s with good life, a slider with sharp bite and a changeup that has good separation and diving action. The raw stuff has never been the question with Romero. who should have no issues racking up strikeouts, but his delivery will never be described as clean--with plenty of moving parts--and he will continue to face questions about his character until he proves his maturity. Nationals evaluators don't see him as a bad kid, but a player who is still learning how to become a professional.
  
  The Future: The start to Romero's pro career has been about as bad as anyone could have anticipated, and he will now have to wait until 2020 to prove that he can return healthy and fully take advantage of his obvious talent.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #5 prospect in 2018
  A top-10 talent in the 2017 draft on pure stuff, Romero slid to the Nationals with the No. 25 overall pick because he faced makeup questions after being kicked off the Houston baseball team in the spring. Houston also suspended Romero in 2016 and again in 2017 for violations that included failing a drug test, missing curfew and fighting with a teammate. He was removed from the roster only a week after being reinstated this spring. Despite facing maturity questions, Romero has unquestionable talent. He has a mid-90s fastball that he can locate to both sides of the plate and a swing-and-miss slider that's already a plus pitch. Romero also throws a changeup that is close to average with a chance to become a third above-average offering. He has some funk to his delivery with a lot of moving parts, so being able to repeat his mechanics consistently while adjusting to pro hitters and a five-day pitching schedule will be a priority for him. Romero's pro debut, spent primarily at short-season Auburn, wasn't terrific from a statistical standpoint, but he could move fairly quickly, especially if he's moved to the bullpen. For now, the Nationals are developing him as a starter with a No. 3 ceiling.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #27 prospect in 2017 draft
  On pure talent, Romero is a top 10 prospect and among the top college pitchers in this year's draft. He's a lefthander with a chance to have three quality pitches: a 93-96 mph fastball, a slider and a changeup. Romero's plus fastball is his primary weapon. Throwing from a low three-quarters slot, he does a good job of getting in on the hands of righthanded hitters and is capable of locating his fastball to either side of the plate. His low slot makes his fastball even tougher for lefties. His slider has excellent bite and is also a plus pitch. He uses his changeup less often, but it has deception and the potential to be at least average. Romero has shown a consistent ability to pound the strike zone while generating swings and misses. He was leading Division I with 15.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 2017. For his college career, he struck out 11.5 batters per nine while walking only 2.8 per nine. But as teams line up their draft boards, they're surely spending as much time talking about questions about Romero's makeup as they are discussing his swing-and-miss stuff. Romero was suspended during the 2016 season for what Houston termed a violation of team rules. He was suspended again this April, reinstated and then kicked off the team just a week after his reinstatement. Romero also had surgery during high school where a screw was inserted in his elbow. Scouts will have to feel comfortable that Romero's problems stem more from immaturity than anything else, but at some point, likely in the first round, a team will view his talent as worth the risk, because he's a three-pitch lefty who could move quickly. After throwing less than 50 innings for Houston, his limited workload makes it easier for a team to let him throw significant innings in his first pro season. And he has the stuff to potentially help out a big league club in the bullpen this fall.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Romero’s career got off to a slow start, with just 14 total appearances to his name over his first three seasons in the system, none of them above Low-A, but he made up for lost time in 2020, when he arrived at the Nationals alternate training site and then debuted in the big leagues later that year. A rib injury slowed him for the first few months of 2021, which he spent primarily in Double-A.
  
  Scouting Report: Romero’s fastball sits in the low 90s, touching the mid 90s, and it’s easy velocity from the left side. His best offspeed offering is a plus slider that helped make him a natural fit for the big league bullpen in 2020. His changeup is a quality third pitch in his arsenal and he can throw all three pitches for strikes.
  
  The Future: The rib injury in 2021 was just the latest in a long line of injuries Romero has suffered in his career, which has in part allowed him to throw just 85.2 total innings in five seasons. His brief big league experience is exclusively as a reliever, but the organization wants to continue giving him the chance to prove he can start.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Romero's impressive slider and changeup helped make him the 25th overall pick in 2017, but off-the-field troubles and Tommy John surgery delayed his progress. He never pitched above low Class A until 2020, when the Nationals brought him to their alternate training site and called him up for his major league debut in August. Romero made only three relief appearances before he injured his non-pitching hand when he caught himself during a fall, ending his season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Romero's fastball is a bit down from what he showed in college--he topped at 93 mph in his big league stint--but his low-80s, potentially plus slider has become even nastier. The development of his low-80s changeup, which he can throw well to both sides of the plate, is a separator. Romero is fearless and attacks the zone. He throws all of his pitches for strikes with average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Romero will continue developing as a starter in the minors. His durability and health will determine if he can stay in that role or has to transition to relief.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Romero's impressive slider and changeup helped make him the 25th overall pick in 2017, but off-the-field troubles and Tommy John surgery delayed his progress. He never pitched above low Class A until 2020, when the Nationals brought him to their alternate training site and called him up for his major league debut in August. Romero made only three relief appearances before he injured his non-pitching hand when he caught himself during a fall, ending his season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Romero's fastball is a bit down from what he showed in college--he topped at 93 mph in his big league stint--but his low-80s, potentially plus slider has become even nastier. The development of his low-80s changeup, which he can throw well to both sides of the plate, is a separator. Romero is fearless and attacks the zone. He throws all of his pitches for strikes with average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Romero will continue developing as a starter in the minors. His durability and health will determine if he can stay in that role or has to transition to relief.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Romero's impressive slider and changeup helped make him the 25th overall pick in 2017, but off-the-field troubles and Tommy John surgery delayed his progress. He never pitched above low Class A until 2020, when the Nationals brought him to their alternate training site and called him up for his major league debut in August. Romero made only three relief appearances before he injured his non-pitching hand when he caught himself during a fall, ending his season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Romero's fastball is a bit down from what he showed in college--he topped at 93 mph in his big league stint--but his low-80s, potentially plus slider has become even nastier. The development of his low-80s changeup, which he can throw well to both sides of the plate, is a separator. Romero is fearless and attacks the zone. He throws all of his pitches for strikes with average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Romero will continue developing as a starter in the minors. His durability and health will determine if he can stay in that role or has to transition to relief.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Romero had 290 strikeouts in 226.1 innings in his college career at Houston, but he was suspended his sophomore year and kicked off the team his junior year. The Nationals still took him 25th overall and signed him for $2.8 million. The next spring, he was sent home for violating team rules. Romero returned to strike out 34 in 25.1 innings at low Class A Hagerstown but then needed Tommy John surgery and missed the 2019 season. He was able to pitch one inning in instructional league, a dazzling outing in which he pumped strikes with all of his pitches.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: On stuff alone, Romero is among the best pitchers in the Nationals’ system. The ball comes out clean in his delivery, and he’s a strike-thrower. Prior to surgery, Romero had feel for locating his 93-95 mph fastball, and his plus low-80s slider drew swings and misses from batters on both sides of the plate. He throws the best slider in the Nationals’ system. His changeup flashed above-average as well, giving him the raw stuff of a mid-rotation starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: At 23, Romero can still set a positive course. His main goals will be building back up and staying out of trouble, two things he has yet to show he can do.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Romero had 290 strikeouts in 226.1 innings in his college career at Houston, but he was suspended his sophomore year and kicked off the team his junior year. The Nationals still took him 25th overall and signed him for $2.8 million. The next spring, he was sent home for violating team rules. Romero returned to strike out 34 in 25.1 innings at low Class A Hagerstown but then needed Tommy John surgery and missed the 2019 season. He was able to pitch one inning in instructional league, a dazzling outing in which he pumped strikes with all of his pitches.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: On stuff alone, Romero is among the best pitchers in the Nationals' system. The ball comes out clean in his delivery, and he's a strike-thrower. Prior to surgery, Romero had feel for locating his 93-95 mph fastball, and his plus low-80s slider drew swings and misses from batters on both sides of the plate. He throws the best slider in the Nationals' system. His changeup flashed above-average as well, giving him the raw stuff of a mid-rotation starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: At 23, Romero can still set a positive course. His main goals will be building back up and staying out of trouble, two things he has yet to show he can do.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  A first-rounder out of college in 2017, Romero is still in Hagerstown because he violated team rules during spring training and was sent home. That resulted in a late start to the season. Therefore, Romero was still getting stretched out while most pitchers are entering midseason form. Despite continued red flags because of his makeup, he has three potential plus pitches and a high ceiling if everything eventually comes together.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: A top-10 talent in the 2017 draft on pure stuff, Romero slid to the Nationals with the No. 25 overall pick because he faced makeup questions after being kicked off the Houston baseball team in the spring. Houston also suspended Romero in 2016 and again in 2017 for violations that included failing a drug test, missing curfew and fighting with a teammate. Scouting Report: Despite facing maturity questions, Romero has unquestionable talent. He has a mid-90s fastball that he can locate to both sides of the plate and a swing-and-miss slider that's already a plus pitch. Romero also throws a changeup that is close to average with a chance to become a third above-average offering. He has some funk to his delivery with a lot of moving parts, so being able to repeat his mechanics consistently while adjusting to pro hitters and a five-day pitching schedule will be a priority for him. The Future: Romero's pro debut, spent primarily at short-season Auburn, wasn't terrific from a statistical standpoint, but he could move fairly quickly, especially if he's moved to the bullpen. For now, the Nationals are developing him as a starter with a No. 3 ceiling.