Left-handed hurler Ricky Romero recently announced his retirement in an Instagram post that flew under our radar at the time. He hangs up his spikes at 34 years of age.
At one point, the former sixth-overall draft pick looked to be among the game’s better young pitchers — a quality rotation piece who could handle a big innings load, even if not an ace. But his career spun out in surprisingly quick and conclusive fashion, and he was never able to get it going again.
Upon breaking into the majors in 2009, Romero turned in a string of productive seasons, improving his bottom-line results as he went. He inked a $30.1MM extension in the midst of the 2010 campaign, a significant contract that nevertheless seemed destined to be a good one for the organization after the ensuing campaign.
Romero’s third season in the majors was his best — a 225-inning, 2.92 ERA gem in 2011. He earned an All-Star nod and placed tenth in the American League Cy Young voting. Though he was not then and never would be much of a strikeout pitcher, Romero induced loads of grounders (54.7%) and certainly seemed capable of continuing to deliver strong results for years to come.
Unfortunately, disaster struck in 2012. Romero pitched a full season, but that may not have been wise. As he discussed with Vice Sports more recently, he was battling through pain over the course of that season. Romero ended the year with a 5.77 ERA, an ugly combination of 6.2 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9, and lingering health issues — he ultimately required surgery for matching torn quad tendons — that he never fully recovered from.
As it turned out, Romero would only throw 7 1/3 MLB frames after the end of his age-27 season. The Blue Jays ended up cutting their losses and absorbing the remainder of the money they owed Romero. He ended up landing with the Giants in an effort to find himself, but never managed to gain traction during his three years with the organization. A brief run in the Mexican League also fizzled out.
As the above-linked piece documents, Romero had tried more recently to get on track by engaging a few trusted advisers and trying to get his flow back. Obviously, that attempt did not enable the southpaw to make it back to the major league hill, but it certainly can’t be said that he fell short for a lack of trying. MLBTR wishes Romero the best in his future undertakings.
Kinda seems like something that didn’t need announcing. I assumed dude was long gone already. Got some big time money early so hats off to him. Shame he didn’t put it all together, considering the potential and early success.
Why would you reply to something that doesn’t need announcing??? I’m glad they did. I remember Romero having that great season and I if I heard his name mentioned down the road I would like to know what happened to him. I doubt very much if we will hear about poor Zac when he retires but hopefully someone acknowledges you.
Always nice to hear about one year wonders. Speaking of which it seems like there always seems to be that one pitcher that has a great season and then falls off a cliff.
Michael Fulmer
Ubaldo
He actually had 3 very good seasons, and even in his last season, turned in some quality starts. Look it up.
No thanks, I’d rather spend my time elsewhere than looking at Ricky Romeros BBRef.
Daniel Paul Bard
Mark The Bird Fidrych
David Anthony Fleming
Justin Ray Thompson
Aaron Shawn Estes
Hideki Irabu
Richard Alexander Ankiel
Oliver Perez Martinez
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Dontrelle Wayne Willis
So many more …
He wasn’t a one-year wonder.. he won 13 games at age 24.. 14 games at 25 and 15 games at 26.. and then pitched injured and went 9 – 14 ..but still started 32 games and pitched over 180 innings..
It should be a lesson to other young players out there..when you have the opportunity to sign a contract that takes you through your mid too late twenties do it..you give up some money in doing that but you should always grab the opportunity to set yourself up for life financially.. and Ricky did that.
Excellent post!! I’m sure Pedroia is glad he did just that, and I hope Mookie is smart enough to do the same because he’s a little guy who plays a reckless outfield ala Freddie Lynn and therefore has a high probability of getting injured.
RR Cool Jay was abominable against the Red Sox, even during his two “good” years. They got in his head, he had no mental toughness despite being from East LA. Quite a disappointment for a 6th overall pick who was also the first pitcher drafted that year. Jays fans bought into the hype though. They embraced him in 2009 more than Halladay, which was weird.
Don’t you have to “officially” retire to get your benefits i.e. pension?
Yes it’s a requirement. Some players like Romero keep trying to come back which is admirable.
But this guy hasn’t seen the big leagues in six years, and wasn’t a big name before then, so it’s just a “filler” story til something real happens.
Funny thing is I look every few months to check what he’s doing. That’s not sarcasm at all, I actually was super curious so I have a reminder in my phone to check every 3 months.
I was at his debut game in Toronto against Rick Porcello, also making his debut, and the Tigers. Bummer to see his career officially end. Thought I’d be seeing two future stars that day.
Dang! How cool! That’s an awesome memory. Lucky…(Napoleon Dynamite voice)
my tots
Jays could have drafted Tulo instead. In the end, they end up paying both for years of mysterious injuries and ineffectiveness.
But wow, Tulo & Price energized the shit out of Toronto in their run. Till they lost.
who dis?
There’s a link if you read past the first 3 words before commenting… He was a good starter for 3 seasons, started on opening day, and made an all star team.
crazy alice
lol
who dat
Is this Ocasio-Sanders? What are you doing posting on MLBTR?
You mean Ocasio-Cortez??
its a joke on her political leanings
It’s also racist.
Shed be more qualified to comment on baseball happenings than her current gig…
Ugh spout that bullshit somewhere else (politics)
Aren’t you a clever duck? Dang autocorrect..
the penguin
I remember being so excited when he was drafted. The thought of him pairing with Doc as a mentor for years to come seemed great; then of course the season that Romero debuted Halladay was shipped off to Philly so that didn’t last long. Still, though, Romero progressed and that made the loss of Halladay a little more palatable especially as Romero put together a nice sophomore season and a fantastic 2011 season where he made the All-Star team. Then things just went off the rails in a big way. Sucks that things went like they did, but at the end of the day four plus years in the majors (three of them quite respectable) and a fat bank account isn’t too bad.
The thing that I hate most is that retirements like this make me feel old lol. I’m now the same age that Romero was when he had that All-Star season, and now he’s in his mid-30s. I hate seeing these guys retire when I can remember watching them as a kid. Who’s next to officially announce their retirement? Adam Lind? Aaron Hill? How many more minor league deals does Travis Snider have left in him?
Yeah it was amazing how Jays fans didn’t care about Doc anymore after RR Cool Jay made his debut. Maybe it was partly because they knew Doc was leaving, but still it was cold how it played out that year. Doc deserved a lot more love than RR got.
I went to a couple of Doc’s games during his last season with the Jays and there was nothing but love for the man.
I know perception can sometimes be different for people, but some things are indisputable.
Here’s the box score for Doc’s last home game in a Jays uniform:
baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR200909250.shtm…
As you can see, he pitched his heart out. Complete game shutout, no walks and 9 K’s.
As you can also see, paid attendance (for a Friday night game no less) was only 20,668 and only about 13,000 were actually in the building. The place should have been sold out, or darn near sold out. He tossed a masterpiece, but hardly nobody showed up. The man was the greatest pitcher in franchise history, a sure-fire HOF’er, and was also a great person as well with his charity work, donations, etc. He clearly wasn’t supported at the end of his time in Toronto, which is sad. And RR Cool Jay was part of the reason why.
From the standpoint of attendance I can’t disagree with you. I think in another post you mentioned that Toronto fans are fickle? And that is absolutely true for teams not named “Maple Leafs”.
Those 13,000 (I was at that game, btw) probably represent the core fan base. Unfortunate but that’s life in a hockey town. If the Raptors weren’t successful you’d see an equivalent downturn in attendance. So I think it’s unfair to say that “He wasn’t supported”, but also unfair to say that “everyone supported him”. There should have been more, for sure.
I hate this. I really liked him on I Love Lucy.
That’s racist. If he was white would you have said you liked him on Andy Griffith? I think not.
If his name sounded similar to an actor on that show, yes. Now stfu, troll.
That’s a BS excuse and you know it, Romero sounds nothing like Ricardo. Guess they all look alike to you, right? Funny how there’s several other players on this page that have “similar sounding” names to actors, but you didn’t say the same about them. No need for anyone to wonder why.
Go watch fever pitch. What a crappy movie
What’s the matter, not a Nick Hornby fan? Or not a Colin Firth fan? Either way, your comment has nothing to do with baseball.
High and tight. Im aiming for your flapping lips
Again, you’re nothing but a loser troll.
You stalk me with puerile personal insults, and now you threaten violence against me? That’s it, reported.
No! Oh God no… no! Nooooooooooo!!!
At one point this dude was soliddd
Obviously you never saw him pitch against the Red Sox.
I saw one in 2012 where he pitched a gem against the Red Sox. It was maybe a month before he fell of the proverbial cliff.
Good luck to ya RR Cool Jay.
Looking at the photos in the vice sports story it’s clear he was injured in 2012. That drive step has no power behind it. How did the Blue Jays not identify this and take care of their guy?
Great point, GB. I watched a lot of Romero in Toronto and John Farrell did him no favours. Romero was prone to outbursts, he’d get awfully frustrated with himself, yet the Jays (Farrell) never seemed to redirect that energy. Farrell had the same see-no-evil approach in Boston … just typing the name John Farrell irritates me.
Best of luck to Ricky.
Publicly Farrell always supported his players, but privately he said what needed to be said. Cool Jay was simply mentally weak, it was especially obvious against good teams like the Red Sox.
You are mentally weak.
Mentally weak people don’t provide strong arguments for their opinion. I brought it with Cool Jay’s numbers against the Red Sox. And what have you brought to the conversation, other than personal insults?
All your doing is insulting RR for some reason… talk stats if you want to talk stats.
Bringing up Cool Jay’s stats against the Red Sox is “insulting”? ROFLMFAO!!
That is why it is wise to sign an extension as a young pitcher.
Stuff happens…..
And more importantly why you don’t sign SP in free agency. 1 year deals is all they need.
Tell that to the Nats and Max Scherzer
I didn’t know the name extent of his injuries. Body just let him down.
Good luck in his next endeavor.
We played in the same league in East LA at a park called Belvedere park on Ceaser Chavez blvd, I took him deep to left we’re all the trees and back yards were hahaha he made it to the bigs and we all were happy to see him in the jays uni.
How did he react to your homerun off him? Did he throw his glove?
Why are you so angry at Ricky Romero. Get a life.
What on earth are you talking about? And get a sense of humour. They’re fun.
You are trashing up the comments for a players retirement announcement. Its not humor. Its just eddgggee. I appreciate that mlbtr announces retirement of players who people recognize.
I appreciate it as well. Seems like you have me confused with the person who criticized this article, as that person is NOT me. And my humorous question was directed at the guy who hit the homerun off Cool Jay, not you.
BBRef’s picture of him has him wearing a Giants cap. They really need to work on the pictures they have on player pages.
In seasons when you knew they weren’t going to contend, RR was always a bright spot when his turn came up. At his best, he was un-hittable, which was most of the time. Nobody worked harder to try to get it back, either. Thank you for some really good times, Ricky, and all the best.
he made nearly 30mil. yes time to retire
Ricky Ro was one of my favs in his prime still have his bobble head today
Man, there are some really stupid people that comment on this site.
In all fairness, Jays fans are obsessive hockey fans who follow baseball only when there’s no hockey being played. Just like Boston fans follow college basketball only when there’s no baseball or football going on.
Stupid, bigoted, uninformed comment.
Spend some time in Toronto before accusing others of being uninformed. And for the love of God, learn the definition of the word “bigot”.
I’m from Toronto.
And your previous post just proved my point.
You claim to be from Toronto, and yet seemingly deny Torontonians are obsessed with hockey? ROFLMFAO!
The 2012 injury is unfortunate, RR’s first three years in the league were really good. Never saw him as an ace, but a solid number 3 on a good team eating innings, winning more than losing, and keeping a sub 4.00 ERA.
T
Another guy announcing his retirement when the league already retired him 6 years ago…
When’s Johnny Damon going to announce his retirement?
Best of luck to RickyRo. For a brief moment things were looking great for him. And then everything came crashing down.
Saw some comments about Farrell doing Romero no favors. People forget 2013; some injuries popped up, and after Anthopoulos said he wouldn’t bring Romero up until the team thought he was ready, they brought him up in a panic. Early May he was forced to start two games (I attended the first one), and all ended in disaster. They sent Romero to Single-A in 2013 in hopes he’d return to form, similar to what Gord Ash did with Roy Halladay in 2001. Only there was no Mel Queen in Florida to help RickyRo. And then Panic Anthopoulos scrapped the plans. Yes, Toronto’s precious AA was negligent and unwise in his handling of Romero. Probably doesn’t matter in-hindsight. Then again, two years later he called Michael Saunders up too soon from a serious knee injury and that ended ugly.
Although brief, Romero had some shining moments. Thanks for the memories.
Finally a very good post, from someone here, thank you!!! As for Farrell, a portion of the small Jays fanbase disliked him for wanting to leave Toronto and manage in Boston. They disliked him even more for winning a championship the year after he left the Jays. It’s all about jealousy, sadly, which is why they have biased opinions against him regardless of the subject.
There’s a lingering bitterness with regards to how he engineered his departure for sure. Winning the World Series also did no help.
Let me ask you this – was there joy or disappointment when he was let go as Red Sox manager?
I don’t think there was either joy or disappointment. It was more a feeling that his departure was understandable, because of the rumoured affair with the reporter and how he supposedly lost the clubhouse. Age was certainly a factor as he was too old school for today’s players. So while fans respected him as a manager and were grateful for the championship and division titles, they didn’t get too upset about it. When you lose the clubhouse, it’s easier to replace the manager than it is to replace all the players.
Such a clown. You don’t represent the Toronto baseball fan perspective. Not even close. The TrimReaper post is far more accurate bc based on Boston reporting.
Championships do tend to make the separation easier.
^MarTINY – based on Boston reporting? I’m a Blue Jays fan. I don’t read the Boston papers or online columns. I couldn’t tell you what they reported.
Perhaps it’s because I don’t buy into the Toronto media narrative since the owner of the team owns the radio and TV broadcast. They let the Jays front office off the hook for Romero and even Farrell. You can add Yan Gomes too since he became part of the second phase of the Farrell deal.
Fever Pitch – two things from my perspective regarding the John Farrell situation….
1) John Farrell wanted to be a manager in the big leagues. He accepted the Jays job because his dream job wasn’t available in Boston. Wanting that Boston job is no different than one of us leaving our current job for our dream job.
2) Farrell was promised things by management and they were not fulfilled. Anthopoulos also wanted more control over the team. Farrell didn’t want that and wanted to leave. AA trades him (got fleeced twice, first with Boston and then flipping the player to Cleveland), and then hires John Gibbons for stint #2.
As much as fans can be upset over a guy that no longer wanted to be here, I really can’t blame Farrell for wanting the better job. Yes he had a contract, but so do the players that are traded without a no trade clause.
Well said Trim, and I like your handle! LOL
Ricky Romero was a decent pitcher. Was he cut out to be the ace of the staff absolutely not but he was thrown into that roll and as long as things were going good he was fine.
But he would give up a long ball and you could see him come apart, he got thinking about that homerun and his whole game fell apart. He never seemed to get around that.
As for the Jays, they are destined to be in the bottom half for at least 10 yrs. Shapiro has about 2yr left on his deal, surely the owners will realize this by the end of his contract, then he and Atkins will disappear and depended on the new President and GM is will take another 7 yrs to correct what these two have done.