Washington Nationals: Enny Romero emerges as bullpen force

As the Washington Nationals deal with fixing a struggling bullpen for the playoffs, Enny Romero emerges as a huge piece of the puzzle.

Lost in the constant chatter of how bad the Washington Nationals bullpen is the emergence of Enny Romero as a strong force.

In June, the hard-throwing Romero has not allowed an earned run over 14.2 innings and 12 games. He whiffed 16 while scattering eight hits and walks while converting his lone save opportunity.

With most of the discussion on social media focused on a lack of closer and how the bullpen will blow whatever lead Max Scherzer and company give them, Romero quietly has done his job.

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In his fourth season in Major League Baseball, Romero’s success comes this year with his ability to control his wildness. He throws a triple-digit fastball with movement, a pitch closers would envy, except he never knows where it goes when it leaves his hands.

That wildness is why the Tampa Bay Rays traded him away this past offseason. Prone to walks and home runs, the lefty carried a 5.91 ERA last year in 52 games and 45.2 innings. A WHIP over 1.530 out of the bullpen is not good.

Tampa dumped him on Washington a week before the start of Spring Training for a warm body. His control issues in West Palm Beach caused groans up north. As the Nats continuously flung noodles against the wall to see what stuck with the bullpen, Romero pitched his way on the team.

When the now-obvious bullpen issues were laid bare, Romero became part of the mix. Sammy Solis, another hard-throwing lefty, went on the disabled list at the end of April and Romero filled his spot as a set up player.

Although we have no idea whom Romero is bridging games too, overall this is his best year.

He still does not know always where his pitches go, but Romero’s sinker has induced six double plays. His strike percentage is up to 63.3 percent over last season’s 62.1. Although his selective wildness causes too many three-ball counts, his walk rate is down from 5.5 in 2016 to 3.7 this year.

Pressed into service out of need, Romero has blossomed into a good reliever. You can see his confidence growing on the hill. This month, he has put everything together.

Opponents have a stingy .167 batting average against him. His WHIP of 1.090 is a testament of Romero’s ability to get batters out. He leads the bullpen in innings pitched and games this month for a reason.

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In a season where starters are stretched to the limit because the bullpen is shaky, Romero is doing his job. Along with the strong performances from Blake Treinen and Ollie Perez as of late, the bullpen is not as bad as you think.