Nationals not planning to call up 2017 first round pick for bullpen help this season
The Nats selected lefty Seth Romero in the first rounder earlier this week, though they have no plans to add him to their MLB bullpen
Two months into the 2017 season, the Washington Nationals have reached something of a breaking point with their bullpen. The relief crew blew multiple saves in recent days and manager Dusty Baker has been openly pining for bullpen help.
While the Nationals figure to explore trades to help their bullpen, one possible fix they will not consider is fast-tracking first round pick Seth Romero to the big leagues. Romero was the 25th overall pick in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft earlier this week, and many believe he could pitch in MLB very soon.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo shot that down, however. Chances were Romero won't see the big league bullpen this year. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post has more:
Rizzo said the Nationals took the best player available, and did not draft Romero with the intention of moving him to the majors by the end of this season, despite the fact that some draft gurus speculated he was among the more major league-ready pitchers available.
"I've never done anything like that, where a drafted player gets to the big leagues the year you draft him," Rizzo said. "I don't expect that in this scenario."
For what it's worth, scouting director Kris Kline told Janes that Romero's stuff "plays in the big leagues right now."
It is rare for a player to reach MLB the same year he was drafted, but it is not unprecedented. The last to do it was lefty Brandon Finnegan, a 2014 first round pick the Royals called up and used out of the bullpen that September. He was on their postseason roster too. Also, the White Sox called up Chris Sale soon after the 2010 draft and used him out of the bullpen. (Both Finnegan and Sale were starters in college.)
MLB.com ranked Romero as the 24th best prospect in the draft class, and said his "fastball works at 92-95 mph and peaks at 97," and he also throws an "unhittable" slider with a "significantly improved" changeup. Sounds really good! As a lefty too? Sign me up. If he hadn't gotten kicked off Houston's baseball team this spring, Romero would have been a top 10 pick. Here's some video:
Overall, the Nationals bullpen has a 5.02 ERA and been worth minus-0.4 WAR this season, both of which are the second worst marks in baseball. At this point it's not a question of if they'll trade for a new closer, but when. It really is. The Nationals are a World Series contender with a clearly defined window of contention -- Bryce Harper will be a free agent after 2018! -- so they'll do everything they can to address their weaknesses.
Of course, one new closer won't solve the bullpen problem by himself, even if they go out and get a great closer. There are setup and middle relief issues too. Romero might be able to help! I completely understand sticking to the development plan and letting Romero start in the minors, though given their situation, maybe it would be best to see if he could do what Finnegan did in 2014 and Sale did in 2010. At the very least, they shouldn't slam the door closed completely.
The Nationals have built a comfortable 9 1/2 game lead in the NL East, and while the season and the division race is far from over, they have bought themselves some time. They can continue to scour the trade market and cycle through internal options rather than be forced into making a move now. Romero joining the bullpen shortly after the draft sure would be fun, though it doesn't sound like it'll happen.
















