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Physical Description: Athletic
frame with some remaining projection. Has filled out some since
he signed, but will always be on the smaller side.
Hit: Starts square with his hands high. Smooth,
controlled swing. Solid-average bat speed. Limited stride. Quick
hands. Makes solid contact, especially against right-handed
pitchers. Struggles against left-handed pitching. Aggressive
approach. Hunts fastballs early in the count and has the
tendency to expand against secondary pitches, especially
changeups. Needs to tighten up his chase rate and make more
contact on pitches in the zone. Potential average hit tool.
Power: Sneaky power for his size. Can
elevate the ball and drive it, especially to the pull side.
Solid-average raw power. Fringe-average game power.
Run: Below-average speed. Solid instincts, but
not a major part of his game.
Field:
Soft hands and strong instincts at shortstop. Average actions.
Makes the routine plays and shows average range. Unlikely to be
a standout defender, but is a potential fringe-average defender
at shortstop. Could be average-to-better at second or third
base.
Arm: Average arm strength.
Passable on the left side of the infield.
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Career Notes: Played travel
ball growing up in Southern California with and against Red Sox
2021 first-round pick Marcelo Mayer and fellow 2022 Red Sox
draftee Cutter Coffey. Played for Team USA. Comes from a very
athletic family. Eldest sister Sierra was a star for the
University of Michigan softball team and older sister Sydney
starred at the University of Oklahoma, and both now play
professional softball. Transferred to Orange Lutheran in 2021 to
face better competition. Was originally committed to Arizona,
but changed his commitment to LSU to follow head coach Jay
Johnson. Had agreed to a deal with the Red Sox prior to the
start of the 2022 draft. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall
Performance Program that was canceled due to Hurricane Ian.
Suffered a back injury during the 2022-23 offseason that
originally appeared to be simple back stiffness during spring
training in 2023. Injury eventually worsened into a stress
fracture that cost him most of the 2023 season. Started the 2024
season on the injured list continuing to rehab the injury before
being activated in mid-May. Missed a week in August 2024 with a
concussion after taking a bad hop to the face.
Summation:
Potential bat-first platoon infielder. Ceiling of an everyday
infielder with positional versatility. Has shown more power than
expected, but has sacrificed contact to get there. Needs to
tighten up approach and show he can make consistent contact to
reach his potential. If he can make those adjustments has a
bat-first profile with averageish defensive potential.
Links
Red Sox select Mikey Romero with the 24th overall pick (7.17.22)
Countdown to Spring Training (3.10.2023) |
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