Romero might start in minors
Blue Jays can’t be sentimental about former ace struggling to adjust after makeover in mechanics
DUNEDIN, FLA.— Boxed in by giving his personal word and by the belief that spring training statistics should not be the basis for personnel decisions, promotions or demotions, Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos finally has an opening. In fact, if the Jays want to send Ricky Romero to the minors. they now have a solid reason. They changed his mechanics, and he needs the time to perfect them. It’s simple, reasonable and easy on everyone’s ego and integrity.
On Thursday, Romero struggled badly in a first attempt to incorporate pitching coach Pete Walker’s “shortest line to the plate” adjustment. Romero took the change into a minor-league game against a Pirates Class-A team, throwing 64 pitches, just 29 strikes. He walked five while recording seven outs, failing to record a third out in any of his four innings in what was a controlled baseball environment.
Walker had seen enough.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think he was frustrated right now,” Walker said back at the main stadium. “I think he anticipated it going better today. He’s been working hard and went over there to get some work in. It didn’t go exactly the way he anticipated. But he’s going to be ready to go tomorrow morning, and get back to work and looking forward to his next start.
“For Ricky’s longevity and feeling good over the long haul, getting him on a direct line to home plate is real important for his arm and for his consistency and for his command.”
Anthopoulos has suggested that optioning Romero to Triple-A Buffalo is now at least a possibility and the reality, sentiment aside, is the adjustment is a legitimate reason. The decision, if it comes, would not be immediate, but would only occur after speaking to manager John Gibbons. Significantly, it would be made only after at least Romero’s next start in five days.
“Obviously, we’ve said we have our five starters, and he’s one of our five starters,” Anthopoulos reemphasized. “As we go through it and talk about it — this is the first conversation I’m having about it is now. Gibby’s at the other game. We’ll talk to him, talk to Pete, talk to the player as well. We haven’t had any change of plans. The plans are still the same, but just like anything else, you’re constantly evaluating. We haven’t talked about it at all. Obviously, we evaluated it start-by-start and so on.”
There are 16 days between Romero’s struggles against the Pirates on Thursday and his first scheduled regular-season start on April 6 at the Rogers Centre. That would be two starts, but the Jays head to Philadelphia on March 28 for exhibition games the next two days. Romero will start on March 26, but the Jays are off on what would be the day of Romero’s second start, and the weather forecast in Philly is iffy. Already it seems like a smart move to leave Ricky at minor-league camp to make one more. But will it be as a majorleaguer or on option to the minors with left-hander J.A. Happ taking his roster spot?
“I don’t know if I have anything to prove,” Romero said. “The results of spring training are one thing. They don’t really mean much. For me, it’s just going out there and getting ready for that year, getting ready for that season. I guarantee if I go on and have a good year, no one’s going to say, ‘Oh, he had a 10.00 ERA in spring training. It’s spring training. It happens to everyone.
“I don’t feel like it’s a tryout. If anything it’s a time where you want to do this, where you want to think about stuff and kind of see where you’re at. I can do that. When the season comes, everything just comes out easier and you just focus on what you need to focus — and that’s the glove, and hit it.”
There is a pressure on Anthopou- los to win this season and the opportunity seems to be there with the injuries to the Yankees and the reload of the Red Sox. The GM can’t afford to make any moves out of loyalty. But is Romero correct and spring training is just about preparation and it’s his job to lose? “Even the year that I had last year, you kind of look at some of that video and you wonder how the hell was I getting guys out with the mechanics that I had,” Romero said. “It’s all there. My stuff has never been a question. It’s just been the consistency. Obviously, I want to see that consistency too. Hopefully, you just continue to work . . . and move forward.” The Jays need to move forward making the best moves for the organization possible. They had been boxed in until they decided to tweak Romero’s delivery “for his long-term health.” The key is the expression “long-term,” because they have Romero for two more years plus an option. Romero would have to be on board if they choose to make that move, but he now has at least a reason to believe. “You’d like to see the results right away, but you’ve got to be a little bit patient,” Romero said. “I understand that the season’s around the corner and everything like that. It’s not something that just came up out of nowhere. I’ve always worked on that aspect of my mechanics. Every spring, it’s a straighter line than I’m usually in. I’m always going to throw across my body. That’s who I am. But obviously we saw something that was a little bit more extra than in years past. We’re just trying to clean it up.” Whether it was intentional or not, the adjustment has created options for the Jays without confrontation or embarrassment for Romero.