Mikey Romero, an infielder at Orange Lutheran High in California, is in the midst of one of the biggest years in his baseball career.
After excelling on the showcase circuit in the summer, professional scouts will flock to watch Romero play this season. Scouts project him as a potential first- or second-round pick in the 2022 draft.
“It is cool to receive draft attention,” Romero said. “Area Code Games is where I saw the most scouts I have ever seen in one spot. It was crazy. All summer, you try to ignore it, but you see the scouts watching you. You just have to play your game. It’s fun to have people watching and play your game.”
Romero is a 6-foot, 175-pound infielder who hits from the left side of the plate. He has one of the best hit tools in this year’s prep class, as he uses a simple and compact swing to drive the ball into the gaps. Romero should add more power to his profile as he matures physically.
“My hit tool is pretty strong,” Romero said. “But it is hard to say for me because I consider myself pretty well-rounded. I consider myself a good infielder, a good hitter. But my hit tool is what elevates me.”
Besides his notable offensive tools, Romero is athletic and displays solid defensive actions at shortstop. He moves well from side to side, possesses range and makes all the necessary throws from shortstop.
Romero wants to add strength to his frame, as he believes it will impact his ability at the plate and in the field. Romero has the tools to stick at shortstop in the future, and he believes the position best suits his abilities as well.
“Once I get a little more strength, I think I will separate myself a lot more,” Romero said. “The baseball side of it, I can handle that pretty well and hold my own. But when it comes to the strength, once I add more of that, which I am working on adding, it will only grow my game more.”
Romero’s skills and potential make him a sought-after draft prospect. He will generate plenty of buzz from scouts in the months leading up to the draft. If the draft doesn’t work out in Romero’s favor, he is a Louisiana State commit.
Originally, Romero was an Arizona commit. But after coach Jay Johnson left Arizona for LSU, Romero changed his commitment, announcing his intentions on June 24.
Johnson’s track record developing players for pro ball and competing at the highest level in college baseball stood out to Romero.
“During the recruiting process, I was really looking for a coach that I could trust and had my back,” Romero said. “I was considering Arizona and LSU. Jay really stood out to me. The persona he holds is really professional, and I really like how he runs his program.”
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for seven years. He has interviewed 356 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com and The Arizona Republic, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
