Ricky Romero Bandwagon

[Sammy225]

I got nothing against Ricky. He seems like a nice enough guy and i hope he does well and if he keeps pitching well in ST i think it is worth giving him a shot as our only other option is Happ. I just don't want people to get their hopes up.

[Sparky12]

I have my fingers crossed for RR. Him and McGowan.

 

Is McGowan even really an option , has he been on a starting schedule? Hasn't seemed to pitch much

[SAAviour]

I'm 100% all aboard the Romero band wagon. Would love to see him walking off the mound like a bull dog again. Not crossing my fingers, but no way in hell am I cheering against that.

 

Before he lost his mojo he was easy to route for. We need a surprise like him in order to compete this year. The old Ricky back would be huge!

[Dylan]

I'd love to see the old Ricky back, odds of that happening though?

[fatcowxlive]

I'm pulling for both and even more after the herd on here is pulling for both to fail.

I don't understand how so many on this board really want some to fail . I think the herd effect rules on this board . Why the f*** would anyone hope he doesn't start a game . If he gets starts that means he has his control back . Hell he always had good stuff . He gets back to throwing strikes with his breaking balls and able to spot his fastball and we have another mid rotation starter and possibly we could deal him .

 

Are some on this board hoping everything falls apart so they can keep whining and f***ing complaining . are you Jays fans or just internet whiners .

 

100% agree. Nothing like seeing a pitcher who hits rock bottom and bounces back up, would be nice to see a rotation with an effective Romero and McGowan as #4/5

[havok24]

100% agree. Nothing like seeing a pitcher who hits rock bottom and bounces back up, would be nice to see a rotation with an effective Romero and McGowan as #4/5

 

lol

[Anemic0ffense]

http://media.tumblr.com/c02e03f70cfc79cc0c7275dccd8894bd/tumblr_inline_mhis0waQDy1qz4rgp.gif

[kgm1]

Ricky got his walk rate down to 4.5/9 in a single outing! All aboard!

 

No one that I know is thinking this will happen overnite . He always had too high a walk rate and his era in 2011 wasn't sustainable with that . He needs to start trusting his stuff and improving his fastball command .

 

I do know this , He can be a mid rotation starter if he does improve his K/bb and so I'm not giving up on him and I'm pulling for him to do that. As I posted I want him to go to AA and work on his command.

[saskjayfan]

I can't speak for everyone, but I think generally it's not really about wanting someone to fail ... It's simply a complete lack of faith in those options being able to turn it around ... and turn it around and sustain it.

 

I actually see those cheering Rickey on as reaching. It's as if, as long as he isn't upside down on his K/BB ratio, or as long as has anything positive happen in any one start, that he's back, or on his way back, and looking good. It doesn't happen like that. He has a long way to go to be "back," and even then, we'd be waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

Most would love it if he reverted back to pre-2012, or pre-2011, Ricky. And they're hoping that happens. They just don't believe it will.

 

Being a fan, despite it being short for "fanatic," doesn't mean you literally have to abandon all reason and not acknowledge the probable, even if it's a negative outcome. You can see your team down 9-1 in the 9th and hope they come back, while knowing and acknowledging they're done for, in all probability.

 

His velocity has ticked up since 2012 when he struggled and had some injury issues. Last year was just a write off. They tried to make significant mechanical adjustments and it just didn't work. So far this spring he's still not commanding his pitches as well as you would hope...but with some increased velocity and with him maintaining the good movement he's getting a lot more swing and misses like the old Ricky did. If Kasmir can come back, anyone can. Tricky Ricky just needs to get that walk rate down to 4 and he would be an okay number 5.

[The_DH]

Is McGowan even really an option , has he been on a starting schedule? Hasn't seemed to pitch much

 

McGowan could be the long reliever, who knows.

[The_DH]

His velocity has ticked up since 2012 when he struggled and had some injury issues. Last year was just a write off. They tried to make significant mechanical adjustments and it just didn't work. So far this spring he's still not commanding his pitches as well as you would hope...but with some increased velocity and with him maintaining the good movement he's getting a lot more swing and misses like the old Ricky did. If Kasmir can come back, anyone can. Tricky Ricky just needs to get that walk rate down to 4 and he would be an okay number 5.

Which makes me ask the question why are all the pitchers being reworked at the major league level? I mean why is it here that the issue is coming up and not found in the minors. It's been going on for a long time back to Halladay at least.

[glory]

When Romero was good, his BB/9 was 4.0, 3.5, and 3.2 respectively (2009-11). Even if he becomes a solid MLB starter again, he'll probably still have trouble with walks. That's who he is.

 

I'm rooting for him. I'm not expecting much, but crazier things have happened.

[fatcowxlive]

lol

 

I didn't say it was completely possible, but it is nice regardless

[flafson]

If he attacks the strike zone and trust his catcher more and think less, there is no reason why he couldn't be our number 4 guy.

[Frenchsoup]

I'm aboard the mechanics look better in that he's actually throwing a baseball now and his arm isn't stuck behind him. He's always going to walk guys but seems to be able to get those double play balls all the time.

[Abomination]

Interesting that apparently he was only supposed to go 3, but Walker requested he go back out for a 4th in which he went 1,2,3. I wonder if they identified something?

[flafson]

Interesting that apparently he was only supposed to go 3, but Walker requested he go back out for a 4th in which he went 1,2,3. I wonder if they identified something?

 

Sure, don't mess with something that is working, he needs anything positive he can get right now.

[fireballW]

I have almost as much faith in Romero as I have in Morrow at this point. It was good when they told him he doesn't need to throw as hard as he can all the time and stressed the importance of location, but now he seems to just throw 91-93 most of the time. Kind of sad.

[flafson]

This thread..........this thread is painful.

 

If only we could talk about Santana being a Blue Jay...

[fireballW]

I am one of the few that believes AA can still be a very good GM. As weird as it sounds I think he just needs to get the spark back, which could probably start by him just getting a bit healthier and getting some more confidence.

 

But there are two things I am having a hard time getting over. One of them is why just because Butterfield left, we had to stop using defensive shifts as much. We had been one of the pioneers in the rest of the league seeing just how valuable it was, along with TB, but then we stopped just because our infield coach left? The other is Walker still being here. None of our pitchers have really over performed since he's been here and many have under performed, including a few complete disasters! Why is this guy anywhere near our pitchers at this point? Why would any of them have any confidence in him as their coach?

[flafson]

That thread is painful too....and so is the Lawries Ex Girlfriend thread

 

Yikes

 

Who's pitching tomorrow? Maybe that will be less painful.

[fireballW]

Don't think this has been brought up so I will just add a little fuel to the fire. AA was interviewed by Blair in regards to Santana and near the end here was his quote (or close to it)...

 

"I'm actually pretty excited to see Romero today, just because the second inning of last game...was... we haven't seen that in two years from him. So I'm curious has he found something or was it just an unbelievable inning from him. But he's been working a lot on his arm action, doing towel drills, trying to emulate a little bit Johan Santana and Cliff Lee a little bit. The second inning of his last appearance his stuff was electric. We haven't seen that in 2 years from him. So I'll be very curious to see if it carries over with all the work that he's done."

 

.... and then today it did carry over. He wasn't asked about him, just brought him up. It could happen. I remember when Cliff Lee was almost out of baseball, struggling. Romero and Hutchinson!

[KSaw]

There's a bandwagon? Must be located in Buffalo.

[Jonzo]

Romero was basically good until JP got here. Coincidence?

[Frenchsoup]

Romero was basically good until JP got here. Coincidence?

 

I think your on to something. I really hope he makes that Texas team.

[KingKat]

Romero was basically good until JP got here. Coincidence?

 

Yes.

[LunchBox]

Yes.

 

Goins is going to hit well because he's got a new hitting coach, Romero is going to pitch well because he's got a new catcher, maybe AA can get a new secretary and turn things around?

[BlueJaysGirl]

Don't think this has been brought up so I will just add a little fuel to the fire. AA was interviewed by Blair in regards to Santana and near the end here was his quote (or close to it)...

 

"I'm actually pretty excited to see Romero today, just because the second inning of last game...was... we haven't seen that in two years from him. So I'm curious has he found something or was it just an unbelievable inning from him. But he's been working a lot on his arm action, doing towel drills, trying to emulate a little bit Johan Santana and Cliff Lee a little bit. The second inning of his last appearance his stuff was electric. We haven't seen that in 2 years from him. So I'll be very curious to see if it carries over with all the work that he's done."

 

.... and then today it did carry over. He wasn't asked about him, just brought him up. It could happen. I remember when Cliff Lee was almost out of baseball, struggling. Romero and Hutchinson!

 

Yep, that's the combo I'm rooting for, Hutch and RR, with Santana off to Atlanta. We need to move Happ somewhere, now.

[saskjayfan]

Not even coincidence. Romero had his highest IP and lowest ERA of his career in JPA's rookie year, when JPA logged 129 games played and 486 PAs.

 

Romero still has all the physical tools that made him successful in the past. The issue is confidence and what's going on between his ears. Trying to figure out if a guy can turn the corner on the mental side of the game is difficult to tell, but I believe it's within the realm of what is possible. If he had lost the physical tools that would be one thing, but he hasn't.

 

I don't think we have any sports psychologists on the board, so most of the arguments about the potential success of Romero are based on conjecture. Time will tell.

[Frenchsoup]

Not even coincidence. Romero had his highest IP and lowest ERA of his career in JPA's rookie year, when JPA logged 129 games played and 486 PAs.

 

Jose Molina was also there and his Xfip was pretty high that year.