Today I wanted to take another look at right hander Sal Romano. I had a chance to watch him several times throughout the season with the Dayton Dragons. Like most guys, his stuff was a bit up and down throughout the season as was his performance. The first time I had a chance to him was back in April. I also saw him pitch in late May, June, July and August, so just about every point in the season. Here is some video that was recorded back in April.
Video
Season Scouting Report
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Fastball: Early in the season, Romano worked in the 88-92 MPH range with his fastball. When the weather warmed up in May he picked up velocity and began to sit 92-94 MPH and touched 95 on occasion. The pitch has good sinking action to it.
Curveball: The pitch can be inconsistent within a single game and remained that way most of the season. At times it will lack good biting action and flatten out some, but when thrown at it’s best it is an above-average breaker with good, late biting action that he can throw at the bottom of the zone.
Change Up: A pitch that he doesn’t use as often as his curveball, though like his curveball can be a bit inconsistent at times. He shows good arm action with the pitch and at its best, the pitch shows good tumbling action as well as nice run into right handers.
Other: He will struggle with his control at times, particularly with his fastball, as it will sail to his arm side of the plate. He is a big time groundball pitcher who turned 52% of the balls in play against him into grounders. His sinker coupled with a high 3/4 arm slot out of a 6′ 5″ frame helps keep the ball on a downward plane to the plate.
Overall Thoughts: Control will be a key moving forward for Romano and exactly what he becomes. With the potential for three above-average pitches and groundball tendencies, he could provide a lot of value in the middle of a rotation. To get there though, the control must improve. He seemed to tire out toward the end of the season With the improved control, his strikeout rate will also likely jump up. With his stuff and size, he will be given plenty of time to work as a starting pitcher, but he has the stuff to be a power reliever if starting doesn’t work out in the long run as well.
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