J.C. Romero

From SoSH

Juan Carlos "J.C." Romero (born June 6, 1976 in Rio Pedras, Puerto Rico) is a left-handed reliever who appeared in 23 games for the Boston Red Sox in 2007. He currently pitches for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Trivia 3 Awards 4 Transactions 5 External Links

Overall Career

J.C. Romero was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 21st round (633rd overall) of the 1997 amateur draft. He made his debut for the Twins on September 15, 1999. His control problems and personality clashes with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire ultimately led to a trade to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for infielder Alexi Casilla in the winter of 2005. After a hot start with the Angels, Romero struggled through the rest of the season. In 13 relief appearances in May, Romero posted an 11.57 ERA, while allowing 20 hits and seven walks over 9 1/3 innings. He ended the season with a 6.70 ERA and a 31/28 K/BB ratio in 48.1 innings. He was, however, particularly effective against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .209 average. In his career, left-handed batters have hit .229 against him.

Following the season, the Angels declined his contract option for 2007, making him a free agent. He signed a one-year, $1.67 million contract with the Boston Red Sox on December 15, 2006. The Sox had had interest in Romero since 2005, when they tried to acquire him at the trade deadline in exchange for Bill Mueller.

Romero's stay in Boston came to an end on June 8, 2007 when he was designated for assignment to make room for Mike Timlin, and then released on June 18, 2007. His brief stint with Boston will be remembered for his inability to throw strikes, issuing 15 walks while striking out 11 and surrendering 24 hits in 20 innings. The left-hander posted a 1-0 record with 1 save, a 1.95 WHIP and 3.15 ERA in 23 appearances. Opponents hit .308 against him.

Romero's last appearance for Boston on June 4 at Oakland was arguably his most memorable. After relieving Joel Pineiro in the ninth inning with nobody out and runners at first and third in a 4-4 game, Romero walked Dan Johnson to load the bases. Amazingly, Romero got out of the jam. First he struck out Eric Chavez on three-straight pitches and then induced an inning-ending 5-2-3 double play on Bobby Crosby's grounder to Kevin Youkilis.

On June 23, 2007, Romero signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was called up to Philadelphia from Triple-A Ottawa on June 29.

Three-Year Splits (2004-2006)

Hitter	AB	H	HR	BB	K	HBP	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
LHB	301	67	6	34	67	9	.223	.314	.309	.623
RHB	375	101	7	71	81	3	.269	.381	.408	.789

Trivia

• Set a Minnesota Twins franchise record with 36.2 scoreless innings (32 appearances) from June 26-September 11, 2004.
• Pitched 2.1 scoreless innings for Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
• Gave up David Ortiz's fourth walkoff hit in 2006 while pitching for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. [1]

Awards

• Named to the All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in 1996.
• 1999 All-Star Futures Game.

Transactions

• June 3, 1997: Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 21st round of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed June 8, 1997.
• December 9, 2005: Traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Alexi Casilla.
• December 15, 2006: Signed as a Free Agent by the Boston Red Sox.
• June 18, 2007: Released by the Boston Red Sox.
• June 23, 2007: Signed as a Free Agent by the Philadelphia Phillies.

External Links

• TheBaseballCube.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis