The history of the Colorado Rockies has been up and down when it comes to catchers… and Drews.
Longtime voice of the team Drew Goodman probably brings to mind more fond memories for most fans than Drew Pomeranz or Drew Stubbs. And who better to take stock of such things than yours truly? Though, admittedly, that doesn’t do much for the Drews Above Replacement here.
So it’s easy to believe that prospect Drew Romo has a very real chance to be the best Drew in franchise history.
Perhaps arguably almost as important, though, is that he has just as good of a chance of becoming the best catcher in franchise history.
The bar is only a slightly higher here where you have to reach for names like Chris Iannetta and Yorvit Torrealba. Both had moments and if you want to go back to Jeff Reed in the 90s you’ll find the one time they had a catcher who truly put up some great offensive numbers… but very briefly.
Iannetta leads the group with a grand total of 7.0 Wins Above Replacement (Baseball Reference) and the team has never really come close to fielding a star at the position.
That framing might seem a bit intense to introduce a 21-year-old who hasn’t even played in Double-A yet, but Romo is already welcoming the pressure and expectations.
“We’re the future. We know how good our talent is…I just got chills thinking about it,” he recently told the media, perhaps invoking the age-old idiom that making something reality begins with belief.
Romo brought an advanced defensive profile to the organization the moment he was drafted straight out of high school. His feel and instincts for so many of the little things that catchers need to do on a daily basis in addition to the more surface-level skills like and extremely quick release and accurate arm throwing to the bases from behind the dish.
According to the coaches and scouts I’ve talked to he also excels in the athleticism department when it comes to things like blocking balls in the dirt and getting out quickly on bunts and slow rollers.
In other words, Romo is MLB caliber already when it comes to a lot of the most difficult parts of playing catcher. Like with so many other prospects, the differentiating factor will be his bat.
The switch-hitter managed to turn heads his first year as a pro, posting a slashline of .314/.345/.439 and stole 23 bases while striking out only 14.7 percent of the time, good for a 104 wRC+. This couldn’t have been more encouraging as both the Rockies and national evaluators expect a much longer adjustment period especially for high school catchers.
But Romo is proving to be his own individual so far and the club has responded by continuing to challenge him. They bumped him up to High-A ball for 2022 where the raw numbers dipped a bit (.254/.321/.372) with 18 stolen bases which was good for a 95 wRC+.
All of that earned Romo an invite to Spring Training where he is again showing that he believes he belongs. He has six hits, including a triple, has drawn a walk and has stolen a base in 13 plate appearances so far.
He is now considered a Top 100 Prospect in all of MLB by Pipeline (84th) and appears to be on the rise. Having not yet even competed at Double-A ball, though, it’s worth pumping the breaks on the window of arrival. Maybe just a bit though.
Any prospect comes with the risk that they won’t pan out. The data charts will show you that those risks are even higher for catchers, higher for switch-hitters, and definitely higher for high school draftees. When you combine all those things? There are a lot of factors outside his control making for a tough road for Drew Romo.
Still, his work on the diamond thus far and his beaming confidence in both himself and his teammates suggest that the Rockies may have finally found their catcher of their future. And their Drew.
