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2022 report card: JoJo Romero

He came, he drank Red Bull, he was traded

Chicago Cubs v Philadelphia Phillies
Jojo Romero only made two appearances for the Phillies in 2022 before being traded
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

JoJo Romero was once an intriguing pitching prospect for the Phillies. The lefty reliever was drafted in 2016, and rose through the system, reaching the major league team in 2020. Like just about every other reliever used by the Phillies that season, he didn’t pitch well, with Romero’s high walk numbers being the primary source of his woes.

Despite those struggles, he gained a cult following for his Red Bull chugging before entering games.

In 2021, the team began using him in a mid-relief role, but he once again had control issues. Any hope of turning around his season ended when he tore an elbow ligament which required Tommy John surgery.

Romero returned to action in July 2022, but after just two appearances with the Phillies - one of which was really bad - he was traded to the Cardinals in exchange for Edmundo Sosa.

The stats (with Phillies): 2 games, 2 IP, 0-0 W-L, 13.50 ERA, 4.5 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 0.0 bWAR

The good

Romero was able to make a quick recovery from Tommy John surgery which is an accomplishment in itself. That allowed him to be used to trade for Sosa who became a valuable contributor for the Phillies in the second half.

The bad

Romero has yet to establish himself as a quality reliever and walks too many batters. Accordingly, he was not included on the Cardinals’ postseason roster.

The future

Since he’s a left-handed pitcher, it seems assured that he’ll get plenty of chances to succeed. He’ll likely be competing for a spot in the Cardinals’ bullpen.

Final grade: Incomplete

It’s hard to judge a guy based on just two appearances, but since he was able to recover quickly and fetch the Phillies a useful player in return, I consider his season to be a success.

And since there wasn’t much to be said about Romero, here’s a Red Bull commercial featuring Santa: