Mariners of the Future: Left-Handed Pitcher Seth Romero

In many ways, Seth Romero is everything Jerry Dipoto looks for in a First Round Pick. But the tremendous upside comes with a terrible downside. The Mariners must decide if Romero is a worth risk taking.

We begin our Mariners profile with the player. Romero, the 6’3″ 240 lb lefty is one of the most talented players in this draft. He has a clean delivery, allowing him to sit at 93 MPH and the ability to hit 97 MPH when he really needs it.

His slider is his a plus pitch that he throws with great plane and break. The changeup, which had always lagged behind the other two pitches, but showed real improvement in 2017. He now has a chance to have 3 plus pitches.

Romero didn’t have a problem with walks in his collegiate career, but struggled to truly command the strike zone, often missing his spot multiple times per plate appearance. The stuff was good enough at Houston to let Romero be sloppy with his command.

The trouble with Romero is his questionable work ethic and character. He has struggled with his conditioning in the past, a trait the Mariners have shipped out of the organization a la Luiz Gohara. This spring, Romero was suspended for a month after repeated violations against team and university policy. He was permanently kicked off the team after returning for a handful of relief appearances.

Because of these question Jerry Dipoto and the Mariners scouting department will have to decide if Romero is a guy they are willing to take a chance on. Romero reminds me of Carlos Rodon, the #3 overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.

While the questions persist about Romero’s work ethic, he could join a big league bullpen this year. Furthermore, Romero could find his way into a big league rotation by 2018. Romero’s case is a most interesting one.

Next: Mariners of the Future: Nick Allen, SS San Diego

Dipoto is trying to rebuild the mediocre farm system, and Romero is a major dice roll. If he hits, the farm adds a Top 50 prospect in all of baseball. However; if the work ethic questions are true, the team will take a big swing and miss with the 17th overall pick.