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New Red Sox draftee Mikey Romero is friends with Marcelo Mayer, believes he’s a better hitter
Plus more things to know about the newest Red Sox player.
As the Red Sox’s newest draftee Mikey Romero begins his ascent through the team’s farm system, he’ll have a familiar face cheering him on (and maybe even filling the infield with him): Last year’s first-round pick Marcelo Mayer.
Mayer and Romero are friends and have known each other for years. Both came up playing in elite circuits, and both played high-school baseball in California — Mayer at Eastlake HS in Chula Vista near the border and Romero at Orange Lutheran, a little over an hour north near Los Angeles.
When news broke that the Red Sox took Romero in the first round, Mayer took to Twitter right away.
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“Let’s go Mikey!!!! Let’s get to work brother!!” Mayer wrote, to which Romero responded, “My brother!! LET’S GOOO!”
In an interview with Prospects Live on YouTube, as first reported by Chris Hatfield of Sox Prospects on Twitter, Romero talked about his friendship with Mayer. Pressed on who is the better hitter, Romero was quick to say himself.
“I’m going to say me,” Romero said, smiling. “I love Marcelo, but 100 percent think it’s me. I love him, that’s all I’m going to say. I think it’s me.”
Romero conceded that Mayer has a better arm and speed, but he believes his internal clock at shortstop is better. In the field, he believes the pair are a toss up.
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“I think I have a clearer double-play turn, but I think he has a nice back hand,” Romero said. “I think it could go either way.”
Both Mayer and Romero say they style their game after Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager.
“Seager is not the flashiest dude,” Romero told Prospects Live. “He just gets the job done.”
Here are three more things to know about Romero.
He is already endorsed … by Big League Chew.
In August, a photographer captured a photo of Romero fielding a grounder blowing a gigantic bubblegum bubble. Well-known bubblegum brand Big League Chew contacted Romero via Instagram to see if he was interested in partnering.
“I was actually unsure at first if I was going to be able to do the deal,” Romero told Prospects Live. “I looked into it, and I saw that California was allowing their high-school athletes to do NIL stuff, so fortunately I was able to hit them back and be part of their team.”
Romero made sure to share the wealth.
“I’m able to hook my teammates up with some Big League Chew,” he added.
Scouts like his hitting.
One thing you can say with some confidence: Romero won’t strike out much. He told the MLB Network he struck out just twice in 90-plus at-bats in his final high-school season, and scouts rave about his ability to make contact.
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“Romero has a pretty, natural left-handed swing and an advanced feel for hitting,” Baseball America wrote in a scouting report. “He identifies pitches well and frequently gets the barrel to the ball to make consistent contact, including against high-end velocity and quality breaking stuff.”
Still, Romero will need to get a lot stronger to add power to his profile.
“Though Romero makes lots of contact, it’s often soft contact,” Baseball America wrote. “He has a slender build and lacks the strength to do damage even when he squares balls up. He needs to make substantial strength gains to reach his potential as an above-average hitter with below-average power, with opinions sharply divided on whether he will be able to.”
He is reportedly expected to be an under-slot selection.
Romero was a surprise pick — most mock drafts had him going in the second round, but the Red Sox took him with the 24th pick.
Some clarity came when the Red Sox made their compensation pick after failing to come to terms with second-round pick Jud Fabian last year. After Romero, the Red Sox took Cutter Coffey, another high-school shortstop but a very different prospect from Romero — powerful with a great arm who might end up a third baseman. The duo could balance each other out, since Coffey is reportedly projected to be an over-slot selection, while Romero is most likely to agree to a deal under his draft slot.
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