No. 9 prospect leading beyond his years in Triple-A

This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

DENVER – Triple-A Albuquerque catcher and Rockies No. 9 prospect Drew Romo lives for the next moment to get better, but now and then, teammates remind him that he has done well to have advanced so far and so quickly at such a demanding position.

“On the top of having older teammates that have a lot of experience, they’ve helped me a lot with perspective,” Romo said. “They'll say, ‘Oh man, you’re only 22 in Triple-A. That’s awesome.’

“It really opened my eyes, like, ‘Dang, what I'm doing here is special.’ I’m just thankful to God for my health and this great opportunity.”

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But on the other side of such positive talk is an assignment. As a catcher, Romo has to be a leading voice – not easy when many teammates, especially the pitchers, are more senior. Romo is adapting to the task well enough that he could finish the season in the Majors, with more-experienced pitchers looking his way.

Romo’s switch-hitting production is a reason the Rockies selected him 35th overall in 2020 out of The Woodlands (Texas) High School. He is living up to the billing. Romo has a nine-game hit streak going, and he is hitting .293 with 13 home runs among his 33 extra-base hits for the season. His punishment is equal opportunity: .295 with five homers in 78 right-handed at-bats, and .293 with eight homers in 246 lefty at-bats.

Romo’s defensive execution has grown. In 81 defensive games for Double-A Hartford and Albuquerque last year, Romo committed 15 errors, and the Rockies leaned on him to improve his throwing. Romo stayed with the left knee-down stance that he adopted last season, and has improved the efficiency of his release to bases.

Usually, Romo lifts the knee when he sees a runner going, but he also is quick enough when the knee stays down. The result is that this year, he has thrown out 23 runners on 80 steal attempts (28.8 caught-stealing percentage) and has just two errors.

With throwing out of the way as an obstacle, Romo is freed to push the leadership component.

Romo was in Rockies camp for the last three Spring Trainings. Another invitation was nixed because the 2021-22 lockout extended into Major League camp, but the team brought him over from Minor League camp for Major League games.

The progress accelerated this year. An attempted back-pick of a runner in an early game showed trust in his ability on the big stage. He received ample playing time in Cactus League games, but an eye-opener was the Spring Breakout – a prospect game against the Diamondbacks. Romo was in clear command of the young pitchers and was the best Rockies player on the field. Can Romo transfer that command when working with more-experienced pitchers?

It’s happening.

“The biggest thing for him was being more personable, more outgoing,” Rockies catching coordinator Dustin Garneau said. “Once he started doing that, it was easier for him to get out of his shell and have confidence to take a mound visit. The trust there happens in the clubhouse. He can be himself and not be a robot.”

The Rockies recently promoted 31-year-old righty reliever John Curtiss, one of the Albuquerque veterans who offered their experiences to Romo.

“It was not from the perspective of, ‘Hey, you're not doing this,’” said Curtiss, who said Willie MacIver, also catching at Albuquerque, is meshing with Romo and making strides himself. “It was more like, ‘You’re already doing this. This is insane. Here’s some of the other 20 percent you need.’

“The relationship between the pitcher and catcher is not more important anywhere in the Minor Leagues than Albuquerque, N.M. It’s the hardest place to pitch in the world – not exaggerating. You have 27- to 30-year-olds pitching, not only to get called up, but it could be the end of your career if you have a bad month in Albuquerque.”

Romo takes the role seriously.

“Earlier in the season, there were times in pitcher meetings where I may have been a little bit more quiet, and I should have spoken up in a certain situation,” said Romo, who said veteran righty Dakota Hudson, recently outrighted to Albuquerque, has been helpful in discussing what’s ahead if he is promoted. “I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable around these guys and these coaches. Also, I’m learning to trust myself as a catcher with what I’m seeing and my instincts.”