Washington Nationals: Seth Romero progressing in first pro season

Seth Romero started his first professional season late, but the Washington Nationals first round pick is off to a good start

When the Washington Nationals drafted Houston left-hander Seth Romero in the first round of this year’s draft, some thought he would be fast tracked to the major leagues as a reliever. That has not been the case as Romero has made three professional starts (one in Gulf Coast League, two in Auburn).

In his first start for Auburn in the New-York Penn League last week, Romero threw the ball well against the Connecticut Tigers. He went three innings and did not give a hit while walking one and striking out on five on 47 pitches (32 strikes).

During that outing, his fastball was about 90-95 miles per hour and had the nasty slider that he used to get the Tigers hitters to strike out.

A day after that professional debut, I talked to Romero over the phone about what he took away from that start. He told me a couple days after the game via a phone interview that “[he] was glad he put the team in a good position to win.” Also, he said that his go-to pitch right now is the fastball, but after a few more appearances, he hopes to go back to the slider.

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Of course, Romero had a large gap in terms of not pitching in games after being kicked off the Houston baseball team back in April. So, how did Romero stay ready to pitch in between that time? Here’s what he said:

“I had a program that they gave me just to stay in shape (working out, throwing bullpen sessions). I threw a couple of simulated games in the GCL, but I’ve been working out and staying with the program.”

While there’s less than a month left to go in the Auburn regular season, there is still plenty for Romero and the other top Nats pitching draft picks to work on over the next few weeks. When I asked him what goals he wanted to accomplish, he “wanted to get his innings up and continue to throw strikes.”

Romero has a long way to go before he can accomplish of dream of making the major leagues, but it’s safe to say he is off to a good start, which is the most important thing. It’s clear he has first round talent, but the question will be what happens off the field.

With that being said, he did give up three runs in an inning against the Lowell Spinners (Boston Red Sox) yesterday. It was his first rocky outing in professional ball, but it is all part of the development process.

Next: Takeaways from Harper scare

We thank Romero for taking the time to talk with us last week and we wish him all the best during his professional baseball journey.

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Seth Romero started his first professional season late, but the Washington Nationals first round pick is off to a good start

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