Who is Mikey Romero? Red Sox pick went to same school as Gerrit Cole, showed salsa dancing skills on MLB Network

For the second time in three years, the Crimson Sox bucked mock drafts to choose a highschool infielder from California. Two years after choosing little-known prospect Nick Yorke, Boston chosen Orange Lutheran (CA) shortstop Mikey Romero with the twenty fourth total decide within the draft.

Romero, 18, is a 6-foot-1, 175-lb. right-handed hitter who’s dedicated to Louisiana State College. He flipped his commitment from Arizona to LSU when head coach Jay Johnson left Arizona for the Tigers last summer.

Listed below are some information about Romero:

He was born simply 9½ months earlier than the Crimson Sox broke the curse in 2004.

Romero actually doesn’t keep in mind when the Crimson Sox beat the Cardinals within the 2004 World Collection, in all probability as a result of he was 9½ months previous. He was born on Jan. 12, 2004, in between Aaron Boone’s homer and Boston’s comeback from a 3-0 deficit towards the Yankees.

He went to the identical highschool as Gerrit Cole.

Romero is an Orange Lutheran graduate, identical to Gerrit Cole, the Yankees ace who struck out 12 batters in Sunday’s lopsided recreation. The college, which is situated within the Los Angeles metropolitan space, can be the alma mater of Cole Winn, who the Rangers took with the fifteenth total decide in 2018, and former Arizona guard Gabe York. 4-time All-Star lefty Mark Langston is a former baseball coach there.

His sisters had been softball stars.

Romero’s sisters, Sierra and Sydney, had been collegiate softball stars. Sierra was a four-time All-American at Michigan from 2013 to 2016 and owns the Huge Ten Convention profession Triple Crown. Sydney starred for Oklahoma from 2016 to 2019 and is now an assistant coach at Duke.

He went to this 12 months’s MLB Draft Mix — and confirmed off his salsa dancing expertise.

Romero not too long ago attended the first-ever MLB Draft Mix in San Diego. You can catch an interview he did with MLB Network here.

Romero advised the hosts he had simply two strikeouts — and fewer than 10 — in his whole high-school profession. He mentioned his favourite gamers are Rangers shortstops Corey Seager and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.

“Although I’m not 6′4″, once I step on the sphere, I really feel like I’m 10-foot,” Romero mentioned. “I might not be 6-foot-4, however for those who watch me play, I undoubtedly play prefer it.”

He was requested about being ranked because the Sixty fifth-best prospect within the draft.

“I strive to not pay an excessive amount of consideration to it,” Romero mentioned. “You see it on Twitter typically, you typically must see it. However I attempt to restrict it. It doesn’t actually imply so much. You’ve acquired to have the ability to play. The draft’s solely at some point. When you get right into a system, everybody’s equal and also you’ve acquired to battle your method to the highest.”

He additionally demonstrated his salsa dancing expertise for MLB Community (4:05 mark).

He’s tight with Marcelo Mayer and even performed for a little bit league staff known as the Crimson Sox.

Romero (who is on Twitter @mromo32) exchanged tweets with 2021 Crimson Sox first rounder Marcelo Mayer, who can be a shortstop from southern California. Mayer posted an Instagram story noting that the 2 infielders had been journey ball teammates. They share an agent/advisor, John Boggs.

Romero also posted a picture of himself in a Red Sox uniform as a Little Leaguer.

Right here’s MLB.com’s scouting report on Romero:

“With spectacular bat-to-ball expertise, Romero has the prospect to maybe be a plus hitter in time. He not often strikes out and may use all fields. He does have to proceed so as to add energy, however although he struggled a bit towards velocity early in the summertime, he was among the best hitters at Excellent Recreation’s World Wooden Bat Affiliation World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., within the fall, displaying off bat velocity, fast arms and good timing from the left aspect of the plate, although he wasn’t significantly productive on the Nationwide Excessive Faculty Invitational or Boras Traditional this spring. He could by no means be an enormous energy man, however there’s sufficient for him to influence the ball.

“Romero is a easy defender with greater than sufficient arm to associate with the vary, instincts and footwork to remain at shortstop for a very long time. He’s not fairly Marcelo Mayer, the lefty-swinging prep shortstop from SoCal who was the No. 4 decide within the 2021 Draft, however the LSU recruit is within the dialog of greatest highschool shortstops on this 12 months’s class.”

Associated hyperlinks:

Crimson Sox decide Mikey Romero, California HS shortstop, at No. 24 in 2022 MLB Draft

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