C Drew Romo, The Woodlands HS [TX]
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DoB: 8/29/2001. B/T: S/R
Commitment: Louisiana State
It's a strong group of high school catchers this year, and while Tyler Soderstrom has moved ahead into the top spot in that demographic, Romo remains the best with a high likelihood of sticking behind the plate. A glove-first catcher, Romo has been a well-known name for a long time now, playing high school ball for Houston-area powerhouse The Woodlands High School and holding an LSU commitment in hand. He was in line to be a first round pick until a slow start to his senior season hurt his stock a little bit.
For Romo, everything starts with the glove. He's an excellent defender in all facets of the game, with no doubt of not only sticking behind the plate, but of being an impact defender at a premium position. He combines a very strong arm with excellent blocking and receiving skills, giving him the best all-around defensive projection of perhaps any player in the 2020 draft class, regardless of position or whether they're in high school or college. On the other side, though, the bat needs work. Romo is a switch hitter, and he packs a lot of strength and leverage into his 6'1" frame. Romo then deploys that leverage into a swing that's pretty simple from both sides of the plate, though just how much impact he'll generate remains a question. He shows a good approach at the plate, but his overall hit tool is just average and he doesn't get to a ton of power. He has the long arms and frame to tap into more, but overall, it's hard to see him hitting for more than average power. A slow start to the spring certainly doesn't help his case there, and neither does his age (he's a bit old for the class, turning 19 in August).
It's so hard to find good hitting catchers nowadays that many teams don't even have one. The two World Series teams in 2019, the Nationals and Astros, got there while using a combination of Kurt Suzuki (.264/.324/.486), Yan Gomes (.223/.316/.389), Robinson Chirinos (.238/.347/.443), and Martin Maldonado (.213/.293/.378). That's really good news for a guy like Drew Romo, because there will be only the minimum amount of pressure on his bat. Still, he has to hit a little bit, and he'll need to make significant strides offensively if he wants to be a starting catcher. High school catchers are incredibly risky, with even the early round guys tending to bust more often than they pan out, and that certainly plays into Romo's profile. All of that said, I do think there is reason for optimism. His mature approach at the plate and ability to work counts and find good hitters will work in his favor as he learns to deploy his power, and he has the natural body type to tap that power. If he does, even a little bit, you have a big league catcher in an era where there just aren't a lot of them.
Romo's ceiling is that of an average hitting catcher with elite defense – perhaps not the most exciting profile, but an extremely valuable one. The risk here is considerable too, since there's a good chance he doesn't even reach that baseline of offensive production you need to justify a big league roster spot. A realistic middle projection for him might be as a defense-oriented backup catcher. I'm wary of high school catchers, as are most scouting departments, but Romo might not quite fit into that trend because he's so good defensively and will be able to devote a lot more time to his bat. A potential first rounder heading into the season, he probably fits more in the comp round now.
Game action over the summer
More summer action, batting practice and defense
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