Red Sox 'Forgotten' Former First-Round Pick Catching Fire In The Minors

As if the farm system wasn't deep enough already...

Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox have built a deep farm system in the past few years, especially in terms of position player talent.

A big part of Boston's improved prospect pool has been their ability to hit on first-round picks. In 2021, they picked shortstop Marcelo Mayer. In 2023, they added catcher Kyle Teel. And in 2024, highly-regarded outfielder Braden Montgomery fell into their laps because of his injury recovery.

However, their 2022 first-rounder hasn't had the smoothest road through his first two-plus seasons in Minor League Baseball, causing his prospect status to take some hits along the way.

Top prospect evaluators haven't necessarily regarded 20-year-old middle-infielder Mikey Romero as a big part of Boston's future this season. He debuted as the No. 5 Red Sox prospect on MLB Pipeline after he was drafted, and has slipped to 16th in their most recent update.

However, after a disappointing first year and a half in the farm system, Romero is catching fire. And that could well force the Red Sox's hand to give him a shot at the big-league level sometime soon.

Romero had a solid, but brief debut in 2022, then put up a .580 OPS in 34 games last season while dealing with nagging lower-back injuries. But after starting 2024 on the injured list, he has announced his presence with authority of late.

In 59 games with High-A Greenville, Romero had a .271/.319/.498 slash line, while belting 10 home runs. He had just one longball in his first two minor-league seasons. Then, two weeks ago, Romero earned a promotion to Double-A, and has elevated his play even farther.

After a double and a two-run home run on Sunday, Romero owns a .360 batting average and 1.120 OPS with the Portland Sea Dogs. He has already hit three more home runs in just five games with his new team.

After becoming something of a forgotten prospect among the many talented Red Sox farmhands, Romero seems to be putting himself back on the map. He's also close friends with Mayer, who he knew when both were top prep prospects in Southern California.

If Romero keeps hitting like this, perhaps there's a future where the two SoCal kids are double-play partners at Fenway Park within the next few seasons.

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