Tag: mikey romero

Red Sox promote IF prospect Mikey Romero to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect and former first-round pick Mikey Romero from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Romero, 21, is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 14 prospect, while MLB Pipeline has him at No. 7 and SoxProspects.com has him at No. 11. The left-handed hitter broke camp with Portland this spring and batted .254/.315/.440 with 18 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, a team-leading 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, four stolen bases, 23 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 66 games (297 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs to begin the 2025 season.

After being sidelined for most of June with arm fatigue, Romero had slashed .262/.292/.423 with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs, 22 RBIs, 14 runs scored, one stolen base, five walks, and 31 strikeouts in his last 30 games (138 plate appearances) leading up to Friday’s promotion. Overall, he is batting .253/.305/.452 against right-handed pitching and .255/.356/.392 against left-handed pitching so far this year.

Among 62 qualified hitters in the Eastern League entering play Friday, Romero notably ranks eighth in isolated power (.187), 11th in slugging percentage, 16th in OPS (.755), 18th in batting average, 19th in wRC+ (116), 20th in wOBA (.342), 26th in line-drive rate (23.2 percent), and 31st in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Romero has seen playing time at every infield position besides first base this season. With Portland, the 6-foot, 205-pounder made 20 starts at third base, 20 starts at shortstop, and nine starts at second base, committing seven errors in 138 total chances. He also made 17 starts at DH.

A California native, Romero was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall selection in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with Boston for an under-slot $2.3 million and has dealt with several injuries since entering the professional ranks. Having said that, he had a healthy offseason after reaching Portland last August and then impressed manager Alex Cora in spring training despite not being part of big-league camp.

“Mikey Romero is a good player,” Cora said in March. ” We just got to get him healthy. He did everything this offseason to put himself in good shape. He’s a lot stronger now. This is the first time I’ve had a look consistently, and I like him as a player. … Good instincts, really good instincts.”

Romero figures to provide the WooSox with additional infield help after Blaze Jordan was traded to the Cardinals for veteran left-hander Steven Matz on Wednesday night. To mark his Triple-A debut, he is batting sixth and starting at third base in Game 1 of Worcester’s doubleheader against Lehigh Valley at Polar Park on Friday afternoon. He will be tasked with facing Phillies righty Aaron Nola, who is beginning a rehab assignment with the IronPigs, out of the gate.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Mikey Romero catching eye of Alex Cora in spring training

Before Wednesday afternoon’s Grapefruit League contest against the Rays at JetBlue Park, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked about which prospects outside of The Big Three of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer have caught his eye so far this spring.

“Mikey Romero, the last three, four days,” Cora quickly responded. “He’s a good player, a really good player. Good at-bats, good defender. Mikey Romero is a good player. We just got to get him healthy. He did everything this offseason to put himself in good shape. He’s a lot stronger now. This is the first time I’ve had a look consistently and I like him as a player. … Good instincts, really good instincts.”

Romero, who turned 21 in January, is not in major-league camp with the Red Sox in Fort Myers but has appeared in three Grapefruit League games thus far. The left-handed hitting infielder has gone 2-for-3 with one RBI, one run scored, and one walk while seeing playing time at second base and shortstop.

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School (Calif.), Romero has already endured plenty on and off the field to this point in his professional career. The San Diego forwent his commitment to Louisiana State by signing with Boston for an under-slot $2.3 million and made a positive first impression in his brief pro debut between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem.

Romero’s first full season in the professional ranks was not nearly as memorable. He opened the 2023 campaign on the injured list due to a stress reaction in his lower back that he suffered during spring training and did not return to action until late June. He then spent the better part of the next two months rehabbing with the FCL Red Sox and Salem before being promoted to High-A Greenville in mid-August. Just three games into his first stint with the Drive, however, Romero sustained a stress fracture that cost him the remainder of the year.

Altogether, Romero struggled to a .214/.294/.286 slash line with five doubles, two triples, 13 RBIs, 15 runs scored, two stolen bases, 14 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 34 total games (144 plate appearances) across three levels in 2023. He dropped from No. 6 to No. 16 in Baseball America’s Red Sox prospects rankings heading into 2024, though more pressing issues were at hand for Romero on a personal level.

On Valentine’s Day last year, Romero’s father — Mike Romero — passed away following a lengthy battle with tongue cancer. Mikey Romero then reported to Fort Myers for camp but was sidelined by back spasms and missed roughly the first month of the 2024 season as a result. He completed a three-game rehab assignment in the FCL before re-joining Greenville on May 15. From that point forward, he looked like a different hitter.

Romero consistently lined the ball in the air in the process of batting .271/.312/.509 with 20 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, one stolen base, 16 walks, and 58 strikeouts over 59 games (276 plate appearances) for Greenville. He was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Month for July and subsequently received a promotion to Double-A Portland in late August. He then closed out the season by slashing .243/.257/.543 with three doubles, six home runs, 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored, two walks, and 25 strikeouts in 16 games (74 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Between the FCL, Greenville, and Portland in 2024, Romero batted .271/.312/.509 with 24 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, 53 RBIs, 54 runs scored, one stolen base, 18 walks, and 84 strikeouts over 78 games (362 plate appearances). Among the 31 Red Sox minor-leaguers who made at least 360 trips to the plate last year, Romero most notably ranked second in isolated power (.238), fourth in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.821) and wRC+ (127), and 11th in batting average and wOBA (.366), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Romero saw most of his playing time last season come at either second base or shortstop. With Portland in particular, he made 14 starts at shortstop and just one at second base, committing two errors in 52 total defensive chances. He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds but currently weighs in at around 205-207 pounds as he continues to add muscle to his athletic frame.

In addition to shedding light on his strength gains, Romero looked back on a season that netted him 2024 SoxProspects.com Comeback Player of the Year honors when speaking with Rob Bradford on Audacy’s ‘Baseball Isn’t Boring’ Podcast earlier Wednesday.

“Last year was a really good year for me, finishing at Double-A,” Romero said. “You can look at the stats and see that it was a great year. I think just being healthy, and playing — towards the end of the season — every day, it was great. To get to play for [Iggy Suarez at High-A and Chad Epperson at Double-A], I learned so much. Being with the older guys once I got to Double-A was pretty cool, to just pick their brains and see how they go about their business.”

Romero enters 2025 ranked by Baseball America as the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is projected to break camp with Portland next month and is aiming to carry over the momentum he gained last year into the upcoming season. Simultaneously, he is looking to take advantage of the opportunity he is getting by playing in big-league spring training games for the first time and sharing a dugout with established veterans like Alex Bregman.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said Romero. “Whether I’m starting or whether I’m backing up, coming in in the sixth inning. It’s just cool to be in the same dugout as a lot of these guys. Bregman, just a bunch of these guys. It’s really cool. Getting to see how they go about their business, not only for me playing but also just to be around the caliber of players we have in this clubhouse. It’s pretty cool. I’m taking advantage of it and I’m excited.”

Though the past year has undoubtedly been tough for Romero, he has been able to maintain a positive mindset thanks in part to his faith and the implementation of routines that he expects will keep him healthy. He also got married in November and is looking forward to what lies ahead in both his life and playing career.

“Starting off the year with my dad passing was, obviously, tough on my family, on me,” Romero said. “But I think the Lord was gracious to me. I got to play a full year healthy, I had a pretty damn good year, and to get to the cherry on top I got to marry my now-wife. Going into 2025, there’s no better feeling to have her here with me as well as to be healthy and to be getting spring training reps and just to be around the guys.”

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote infield prospect Mikey Romero to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Mikey Romero from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Romero is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The left-handed hitting 20-year-old batted .271/.319/.498 with 20 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, one stolen base, 16 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 59 games (276 plate appearances) for Greenville this season.

Among the 85 South Atlantic League hitters who have made at least 275 trips to the plate this year, Romero ranks fifth in slugging percentage, seventh in isolated power (.227), ninth in OPS (.817), 12th in batting average, 16th in wRC+ (126), 21st in strikeout rate (21 percent), and 34th in line-drive rate (22.7 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Romero saw all of his playing time on the field with the Drive come at either shortstop or second base. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder logged 307 2/3 innings at short and 134 innings at second, committing eight errors in 179 total chances. He also started eight games at DH.

A native of Southern California, Romero was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with the club for $2.3 million that July but has struggled to stay on the field since entering the professional ranks.

After a strong pro debut between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2022, Romero was limited to just 34 games between three affiliates last year. He received a promotion from Salem to Greenville on August 15 but appeared in only three games for the Drive before being shut down for the rest of the season with “persistent lower-back issues.”

To that end, Romero did not make his 2024 debut until early May, as he opened the season on the injured list and completed a three-game rehab assignment in the FCL before rejoining the Greenville lineup on May 15. He initially got his second stint with the Drive off to a slow start but turned in a monster July (.354/.382/.781 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 19 games) and was recognized as the South Atlantic League Player of the Month.

Leading up to Sunday’s promotion, Romero had slashed .260/.327/.360 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 12 August contests for Greenville. He suffered a concussion earlier this month after taking a bad hop to the face in the infield but returned to action on August 14 following a brief seven-day stint on the injured list.

Romero, who does not turn 21 until January, should help fill the void in the Portland lineup that was created when top prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell were promoted to Triple-A Worcester within one week of each other. In doing so, he will be getting the opportunity to face more advanced pitching in the upper minors for the first time in his young career.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox prospects Mikey Romero, Yordanny Monegro recognized as South Atlantic League Player, Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox prospects (and High-A Greenville teammates) Mikey Romero and Yordanny Monegro have been named the South Atlantic League Player and Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 29-August 4, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Romero, Baseball America’s 14th-ranked Red Sox prospect, enjoyed a productive week at the plate in Greenville’s last series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The left-handed hitter appeared in five of the six games at Fluor Field, going 12-for-25 (.480) with two doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs, five runs scored, one walk, and four strikeouts.

After stroking two singles on Tuesday, Romero recorded his third and final multi-homer game of July as part of a four-hit effort on Wednesday. The 20-year-old got Thursday off, then closed out the series by picking up six more hits and collecting six more RBIs over the weekend. He went deep yet again in Sunday’s series finale.

Romero, the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft, opened his second full season in pro ball on the injured list as he continued to work his way back from a back issue that shut him down last August. The Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) product completed a three-game rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League before rejoining Greenville in mid-May. He initially got off to a slow start in his second stint with the Drive but started to turn a corner after the calendar flipped from June to July.

In his last 22 games dating back to July 1, Romero is batting .357/.387/.745 with 12 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 20 runs scored, one stolen base, five walks, and 17 strikeouts over 106 plate appearances. On the 2024 campaign as a whole, he is slashing .281/.324/.534 with 18 doubles, four triples, 10 homers, 36 runs driven in, 36 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 50 games (238 plate appearances) for Greenville.

On the other side of the ball, Romero has seen the majority of his playing time with the Drive this season come in the middle infield. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder has logged 258 2/3 innings at shortstop and 116 innings at second base, committing eight errors in 146 total defensive chances. He has also started seven games at DH.

Monegro, meanwhile, put together his best start of the season to date in Thursday’s 4-0 shutout win over Wilmington. The 21-year-old right-hander tossed the first five innings of a combined no-hitter, striking out six without issuing a walk, though he did plunk one batter. He finished with 64 pitches (39 strikes) and induced 12 swings-and-misses. Cooper Adams and Isaac Stebens combined for four more no-hit frames to seal Greenville’s second no-no of the year.

In a similar fashion to Romero, Monegro also began 2024 on the injured list after experiencing weakness in his pitching shoulder. He, too, rehabbed in the Florida Complex League before returning to the mound for Greenville in early June. With Thursday’s stellar outing, the righty extended his scoreless innings streak to 19 dating back to July 14. Overall, he has forged a 3.95 ERA (4.77 FIP) with 49 strikeouts to 17 walks in 10 appearances (nine starts) spanning 41 innings for the Drive this season. Opponents have batted .216 against him.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Monegro originally signed with the Red Sox for $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in February 2020. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s fastball that touches 96 mph, an upper-70s curveball, a mid-80s slider, and an upper-80s split-change. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 12th among pitchers in the organization.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote infield prospect Mikey Romero to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect Mikey Romero from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Romero, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox selected the California native with the 24th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with the club for an under-slot $2.3 million.

After making his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League last summer, Romero made the jump to Salem before the 2022 season came to a close and appeared in nine games for the Red Sox down the stretch. As such, Romero was expected to return to Salem for the start of the 2023 campaign, but he was instead slowed by lower back stiffness throughout spring training and began the year on the injured list as a result.

Following a lengthy period of working his way back up to game speed, Romero began a rehab assignment with the Fort Myers-based FCL Red Sox in late June. The left-handed hitter got into 10 complex league games and went 6-for-24 (.250) at the plate with one double, four RBIs, four runs scored, five walks, and four strikeouts. He was then activated from Salem’s injured list on July 6 and in manager Liam Carroll’s starting lineup the following night.

In his second go-around with the Salem Sox, Romero batted .217/.288/.304 with four doubles, two triples, nine runs driven in, 11 runs scored, two stolen bases, nine walks, and 17 strikeouts over 23 games (105 plate appearances). While that translates to an underwhelming wRC+ of 72, there is more to Romero’s offensive production than meets the eye.

For starters, Romero posted a 35.1 percent line-drive rate. That, according to FanGraphs, ranks first among the 173 hitters in the Carolina League who have made at least 100 trips to the plate so far this season. He has also produced a .260 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests he has been somewhat unlucky as far as his results are concerned. Adding on to that, it does not help that Salem’s home ballpark — Carilion Clinic Field — is a tough place to hit.

Defensively, Romero has seen playing time at both middle infield positions this season. With Salem specifically, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder logged 94 innings at shortstop and 70 1/3 innings at second base. He committed two errors (both at shortstop) in 75 total chances between the two spots.

Romero, who turns 20 in January, becomes the latest member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Salem to Greenville this season, most notably joining second-rounder Cutter Coffey and supplementary second-rounder Roman Anthony.

All three of Anthony, Coffey, and Romero are in the starting lineup for the Drive’s series opener against the Winston-Salem Dash at Truist Stadium on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Mikey Romero, Roman Anthony enter Baseball America’s top 10 Red Sox prospects rankings

Two members of the Red Sox’ 2022 draft class have entered the organization’s top 10 prospects rankings, at least according to one prominent publication.

On Wednesday, Baseball America released the top 10 prospects in Boston’s farm system heading into the 2023 season. While the list is headlined by Marcelo Mayer, 2022 first-rounder Mikey Romero and 2022 second-rounder Roman Anthony both made the cut.

Romero, taken by the Sox with the 24th overall pick out of Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) over the summer, is now regarded by Baseball America as the organization’s No. 5 prospect. The 18-year-old infielder forwent his commitment to Louisiana State University by signing with Boston for $2.3 million in July.

Upon putting pen to paper at Fenway Park, Romero began his professional career in the Florida Complex League. The left-handed hitter batted .250/.372/.417 with one home run and six RBIs in 10 games with the FCL Red Sox before earning a promotion to Low-A Salem in late August.

Once there, Romero ended his first pro season on a strong note by slashing .349/.364/.581 with four doubles, three triples, 11 runs driven in, six runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and 11 strikeouts across nine games (44 plate appearances. Between the two affiliates, the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder logged 49 innings at second base and 66 innings at shortstop.

Romero, who turns 19 in January, is projected to return to Salem for the start of the 2023 season next spring. He “has a sweet lefthanded swing with little stride or wasted motion. His barrel is a magnet for pitches all over the zone, producing gap-to-gap, line-drive contact.”

On the other side of the ball, Romero possesses “good instincts and clean actions but with limited range” at shortstop. “There’s a chance he stays at shortstop as an average defender, but more likely he becomes an average second baseman with the ability to provide fringe defense on the other side of second. He’s a slightly below-average runner,” per his Baseball America scouting report.

Anthony, meanwhile, was taken 79th overall — which was the compensatory pick the Red Sox received after losing Eduardo Rodriguez in free agency last November — out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. He is now regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s eighth-ranked prospect.

In similar fashion to Romero, Anthony forwent his commitment to the University of Mississippi and signed with Boston for $2.5 million at Fenway Park in July. The left-handed hitting 18-year-old made his pro debut in the Florida Complex League and batted .429/.475/.486 with two doubles and seven RBIs in 10 games before joining Romero in Salem towards the end of August.

With the Salem Sox, Anthony went 7-for-37 (.189) at the plate with two doubles, five runs driven in, two runs scored, five walks, and four strikeouts over 10 games. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder saw playing time at all three outfield positions, though eight of his 10 starts with Salem came in center.

Anthony, who does not turn 19 until next May, is also expected to return to Salem for the start of the 2023 season. According to his Baseball America scouting report, the native Floridian “shows plus to double-plus raw power and can clear fences with ease.” He also ” controls at-bats in impressive fashion, particularly for a player with his stout frame. While his raw power is obvious, there’s less consensus around Anthony’s pure hitting ability. He showed swing-and-miss tendencies during the showcase circuit in high school but made adjustments during the spring and also performed well in a brief pro debut.

Defensively, Anthony “already has size and strength but projects to get bigger. Anthony’s ability to maintain mobility in his next 15 pounds represents a key that will determine whether he stays in center field, though the safest bet would be an eventual move to right field. Still, his bat projects well in a corner, as does his arm.”

Beyond Mayer, Romero, and Anthony, Triston Casas came in at No. 2, Ceddanne Rafaela came in at No. 3, Miguel Bleis came in at No. 4, Nick Yorke came in at No. 6, Bryan Mata came in at No. 7, Brandon Walter came in at No. 9, and Eddinson Paulino came in at No. 10 on Baseball America’s list.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox have 0.8 percent chance to land No. 1 pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox did not finish with the worst record in baseball this season, yet they will have a chance to pick first in next year’s amateur draft.

On Monday, Major League Baseball announced that the first-ever draft lottery will take place during next month’s Winter Meetings in San Diego. Thanks to the newly-implemented collective bargaining agreement, the first six picks of the 2023 draft will now be determined via lottery as opposed to the reverse order of the previous year’s standings.

Coming off a 78-84 2022 campaign that saw them fall short of the postseason, the Red Sox would be in line to receive the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft under the old collective bargaining agreement. They now have the 14th-best odds to obtain the No. 1 pick next July.

Boston will be in the mix with the 17 other non-playoff teams for the top overall selection. The teams with the three worst records in 2022 — the 55-107 Nationals, the 60-102 Athletics, and 62-100 Pirates — have the best chance (16.5) to win the top pick in the lottery.

From there, the Reds (13.2 percent) have the fourth-best, the Royals (10.0 percent) have the fifth-best, the Tigers (7.5 percent) have the sixth-best, the Rangers (5.5 percent) have the seventh-best, the Rockies (3.9 percent) have the eighth-best, the Marlins (2.7 percent) have the ninth-best, the Angels (1.8 percent) have the 10th-best, the Diamondbacks (1.4 percent) have the 11th-best, the Cubs (1.1 percent) have the 12th-best, the Twins (0.9 percent) have the 13th-best, the Red Sox (0.8 percent), have the 14th-best, the White Sox (0.6 percent) have the 15th-best, the Giants (0.5 percent) have the 16th-best, the Orioles (0.4 percent) have the 17th-best, and the Brewers (0.2 percent) possess the 18th-best odds.

In addition to having a 0.8 percent chance to land the top pick, the Red Sox have a 0.9 percent chance to pick second, a 1.0 percent chance to pick third, a 1.2 percent chance to pick fourth, a 1.4 percent chance to pick fifth, and a 1.7 percent chance to pick sixth, according to Tankathon.com.

If Boston’s No. 1 selection falls out of the top six in the lottery, it would pick 14th overall. Tankathon.com relays that the Sox have a 78.9 percent chance to pick 14th, a 13.6 percent chance to pick 15th, and a 0.6 percent chance to pick 16th.

While it is extremely unlikely the Red Sox come away with the top overall pick (something that has never happened in franchise history) on December 6, they have been able to use the first round of past drafts to strengthen their improving farm system.

Under chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and vice president of player development and amateur scouting Toboni, Boston has taken infielders Mikey Romero, Marcelo Mayer, and Nick Yorke with its first pick in each of the last three drafts. All three Californians currently sit within the top 12 of Baseball America’s Red Sox prospects rankings.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox first-round pick Mikey Romero hits first professional home run in seventh Florida Complex League game

Red Sox infield prospect Mikey Romero hit the first home run of his professional career in the Florida Complex League on Friday afternoon.

Batting leadoff and starting at shortstop for the FCL Red Sox in their contest against the FCL Twins at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Romero’s milestone homer came with one out in the bottom half of the ninth inning.

Trailing 4-0 at that point, Freddy Valdez drew a one-out walk off Twins reliever Cole Bellair while Luis Ravelo followed with a groundball single to put runners at the corners for Romero.

Romero, in turn, promptly cranked a three-run home run to right field to trim the deficit to 4-3. That would go on to be Friday’s final score as the FCL Red Sox dropped to 33-19 on the season.

Following Friday’s 1-for-5 performance, the left-handed hitter is now batting .200 (5-for-25)/.310/.400 with two doubles, one homer, four RBIs, three runs scored, four walks, and two strikeouts over seven games (29 plate appearances) to begin his professional career.

The Red Sox selected Romero with the 24th overall pick in last month’s amateur draft out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif. Originally committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State University, the 18-year-old signed with Boston on July 25 for an under-slot $2.3 million. He made his pro debut on August 9 and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the organization.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox officially sign top draft picks Mikey Romero and Cutter Coffey

The Red Sox have officially signed 2022 first-round and second-round draft picks Mikey Romero and Cutter Coffey, the team announced earlier Monday afternoon.

According to The Athletic’s Chad Jennings, Romero — who was taken with the 24th overall selection — has received a $2.3 million bonus while Coffey — who was taken with the 41st overall selection — has received a $1.8475 million bonus. Boston was rewarded with the 41st pick in this year’s draft after failing to sign Jud Fabian last summer.

Romero, 18, was regarded by Baseball America as the 54th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class. The left-handed hitting shortstop batted .372/.419/.659 with four home runs, 26 RBIs, 24 runs scored, and one stolen base in 30 games (105 plate appearances) as a senior at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High School.

Coffey, also 18, was regarded by Baseball America as the 65th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class. A right-handed hitting shortstop from Bakersfield, Calif., Coffey slashed .442/.581/1.021 with 12 home runs, 32 RBIs, 48 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases over 31 games (129 plate appearances) at Liberty High School.

Romero, who has two older sisters — Sierra and Sydney — who were college softball stars at Michigan and Oklahoma, was previously committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State University. He will instead forego his commitment by signing with Boston for $2.3 million, which is approximately $676,400 under-slot.

Coffey, on the other hand, was once a two-way player who was projected by evaluators to be better as a pitcher. Like Romero, Coffey was also committed to play his college baseball at a big school in the University of Texas at Austin. He, too, will forego his commitment by signing an under-slot deal with the Red Sox.

Both Romero and Coffey spent the weekend in Boston and are expected to be introduced to the media at Fenway Park prior to Monday’s game against the Guardians.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Red Sox select Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School outfielder Roman Anthony with 79th overall pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 79th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox have selected Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.) outfielder Roman Anthony.

Boston was rewarded with the 79th pick in this year’s draft after losing left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers in free agency back in November.

Anthony, 18, is regarded by Baseball America as the 72nd-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class. The Florida native is currently committed to play college baseball at the University of Mississippi.

In his senior season with Stoneman Douglas — a high school that has produced the likes of former Red Sox prospect Anthony Rizzo — the left-handed hitting Anthony batted .520/.589/.980 to go along with 14 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 36 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, 21 walks, and 15 strikeouts over 32 games spanning 129 trips to the plate.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Anthony “looks the part of a developing young slugger with wide shoulders and present strength that shows up in the form of massive, 400-plus foot home runs. His raw power is easily plus, and when he catches a pitch on the barrel, there are few players in the class who can send a baseball as far as he can. However, Anthony struggled with swing-and-miss issues over the showcase circuit, which raised questions about his pure hitting ability.”

Defensively, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has served as the Eagles’ everyday centerfielder. However, due to his frame, he will likely “move to a corner outfield position in the future, but he moves well underway and is a savvy and aggressive baserunner currently.”

Anthony, who does not turn 19 until next May, becomes the third high schooler the Red Sox have drafted in the first three rounds of the 2022 draft, joining prep infielders Mikey Romero and Cutter Coffey.

The recommended slot value for the 79th overall selection in this year’s draft comes in at approximately $820,000. Boston will have until August 1 to sign its draft picks.

On that note, Day 1 of the MLB Draft has concluded. It will pick up at 12 p.m. eastern time on Monday with rounds 3-10. Rounds 11-20 will take place on Tuesday.

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)