Next Guys Up: Jordan Romano

Jordan Romano is a 27 year old right handed reliever from Markham, Ontario. Romano was drafted in the tenth round of the 2014 MLB draft out of Oral Roberts University, and made his MLB debut with the Jays in June of 2019.

Romano is more of a Jay than anyone, not only wearing the logo across his chest, but playing his entire career for his hometown team. He has spent the last six years working his way through the organization, and despite some inconsistent stat lines, he has made it up to the show to fulfill his childhood dream.

In 2019 Romano was selected in the rule 5 draft by the Texas Rangers, but was unable to break camp with the team and was returned to the Blue Jays, where he would debut later in the year. Prior to the call up, the entire 2019 season was spent in AAA Buffalo, where Romano would pitch for a 5.73 ERA over 37.2 innings. In the 24 games played, 3 were starts, which is a good sign for a bullpen reliever. The Blue Jays value him as a long term fixture in the bullpen, and being able to throw 2-3 innings in his appearances is a big plus towards his ability to remain with the big league club.

At the big league level in 2019, Romano struggled with a 7.63 ERA, but these numbers can be deceiving. When a couple poor appearances are removed from his track record, his ERA begins to look a lot better, which is why the Jays had so much confidence to keep him up for the final half of the year. His 12.3 K/9 rate shows the potential is there, and if he manages to improve his control at the big league level, it will be clear why he is considered a long term solution.

Going into 2020, Romano is competing for a bullpen spot, if it isn’t already secured. He is a player that the front office really wants to give a chance, and with the bullpen depth as thin as it is, he has a great opportunity to continue improving, and prove himself ready to remain with the club on a permanent basis. This will be a big year for the young Canadian, and he will surely remain a player to watch.