Drew

Romo

Since it’s Hunter Goodman and not Jacob Stallings doing to bulk of the catching for the Rockies, we’re not exactly mad what’s going on with Romo here. Still, this is getting pretty extreme; the 23-year-old has started just two of 14 games since Sept. 5. It seems quite obvious that he isn’t being viewed as a 2025 catching solution by the Rockies.

Romo hit .297/.339/.499 in Triple-A prior to his callup, but he hasn’t impressed offensively in nine games since joining the Rockies, going 7-for-33 with no homers. His average exit velocity is 81 mph, and he’s topped out at 101 mph so far. Of course, it’s just nine games. However, he’s going to need to show something this month if he wants to be penciled in as the Rockies’ starting catcher next year.

Romo is presumably coming up as a one-for-one replacement for Elias Diaz, who was released. Romo hit .297 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI in 85 games at Triple-A this year. He should be the primary catcher for the Rockies for the rest of the year. Romo has appeal in NL-Only leagues and potentially deeper mixed leagues as well.

The Rockies still seem pretty high on Elias Díaz, but his defense is a real problem. Romo would be a clear upgrade there without being too much of a downgrade offensively. The Rockies might not make the switch at any point in 2024, but maybe Romo can apply some pressure with a strong showing in Triple-A.

Romo, the 35th overall pick in the 2020 draft, was promoted after hitting .254/.313/.440 for Double-A Hartford. His stock has tumbled some this year, but he could still see the majors next year and perhaps turn into the Rockies’ starting catcher in 2024.

Romo’s home was the fourth of the season in the Northwest League, and his steal puts him up to six. While not an elite runner, the 20-year-old backstop is a quality athlete who is one of the few catchers that has a chance to put up around double-digit steals. He also shows one of the best hit tools of any player behind the plate, and has put it to use with a .310 average over 41 games with Spokane. Romo is the Colorado catcher of the future, and has a good chance to be a fantasy-relevant backstop when he’s ready to go around 2024.

The homer gives Romo three on the season. The 35th pick of the 2020 draft out of The Woodlands High School in Texas has impressed with the bat thus far with a .307/.333/.395 slash in 26 games, and he’s also stolen four bases. The left-handed hitting backstop was perceived to be better with the glove than the stick, and while the sample is still pretty small, he’s off to a nice start in proving those folks wrong. Romo has a long way to go, but it’s not hard to picture him becoming the everyday backstop for the Rockies by the end of 2024.

Romo will receive a signing bonus of $2,095,800, which is the exact recommended slot value for where he was selected (35th overall) in last month’s 2020 MLB Draft. The 18-year-old catcher might be limited to instructional league action this year, as all Minor League Baseball seasons were officially canceled on Tuesday.

Romo is considered by many to be the best defensive backstop on the draft. He has an easy plus arm, and he does a good job of blocking balls behind the plate. The question is offensively; the swing suggests that he won’t hit for much power -- although Coors Field will help -- and he doesn’t make as much hard contact as you usually see from a player picked this high. He’s a player that has much more “real life” value than fantasy, at this point.