FSL notes: Romero still has 'wow' factor

Class A Advanced Fort Myers skipper Jeff Smith remembers first seeing Fernando Romero in the instructional league with the Minnesota Twins. It was hard to forget.

"It was, 'Wow!'" the veteran manager said. "He was that impressive to everyone."

Romero missed nearly two Minor League seasons because of Tommy John surgery, but he is continuing to turn heads.

"The wow factor is definitely still there," Smith said.

Fort Myers started the season with a rotation featuring the Twins' top-rated pitching prospects -- Tyler Jay, Stephen Gonsalves and Kohl Stewart. They are all in Double-A now, but Romero has stepped right in.

Promoted from Class A Cedar Rapids after going 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA, Romero has continued to dazzle in the Florida State League. The 21-year-old right-hander is 4-2 with a 2.11 ERA in 10 starts for Fort Myers and has 56 strikeouts to 10 walks in 55 1/3 innings.

Romero's most impressive outing with the Miracle was Aug. 12 against Charlotte, when he struck out 11 and walked none over seven scoreless innings. The native of the Dominican Republic was nearly as attention-grabbing in his next start at St. Lucie on Aug. 18, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Mets while giving up three hits and fanning eight.

Overall this season, Romero is 8-3 with a 2.05 ERA and 81 strikeouts to 15 walks in 83 1/3 innings. Opponents are batting .213 in his 15 starts and he had a WHIP of 0.95.

Those numbers would be impressive for anyone, let alone a pitcher who hadn't been on a Minor League mound since his third start of the 2014 season.

"He's an extremely special talent," Smith said. "Talent like he has doesn't come along very often."

Just how eye-catching is Romero's stuff?

"He hits 100 [mph with the fastball], his slider is 90 and he has a change he can throw on any count," Smith said. "Plus, the way he competes is off the charts."

So why hasn't Romero been getting more attention? The answer is his injury and the depth of talent in the Minnesota organization.

The Twins signed Romero for $200,000 at age 16 and he quickly made an impression in 2013, posting a 1.60 ERA and striking out 47 over 45 innings during his first season in the United States against Rookie-level Gulf Coast League hitters.

Instead of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, Romero was jumped to Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League in June of 2014. He only made it through three starts.

Despite the time off, Romero was ranked as the Twins' No. 18 prospect by MLB.com coming into this season. Now he is up to No. 7 and is certainly no longer a hidden gem.

Some pitchers struggle with their command after Tommy John surgery. That hasn't been the case with Romero.

"He has very repeatable mechanics," Smith said. "He can throw all his pitches for strikes. When he misses, it isn't by much and it's with a purpose.

"He just keeps progressing and it has been fun to watch. I still say 'Wow!' a lot."

In brief

Five-hit game: Clearwater catcher Chace Numata went 5-for-6 in the Threshers' 15-0 home victory over Daytona on Aug. 21. The big game raised the native of Hawaii's average to .320, and he was just short of enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting race. Numata, 24, scored three runs and drove in two as Clearwater had 19 hits in the rout of Daytona. The 14th-round pick by Philadelphia in the 2010 Draft had a .388 on-base percentage in 84 games, with 33 walks to 38 strikeouts.

Catching up: Max Pentecost, Toronto's injury-plagued first-round pick in the 2014 Draft, was 5-for-15 with a homer in his first three games with Dunedin after being promoted from Class A Lansing on Aug. 19. The catcher is limited to serving as a DH this season after two shoulder surgeries. Pentecost, 23, had a .314 average with seven homers and 34 RBIs in 62 Midwest League games. Toronto's No. 14 prospect missed all of the 2015 season.

Breakout series: Tampa outfielder Rashad Crawford had three consecutive two-hit games Aug. 19-21 at Brevard County, homering in two of them. They were the first two homers for Crawford with Tampa since he was obtained by the New York Yankees from the Chicago Cubs as part of the return for closer Aroldis Chapman. Crawford, 22, was hitting .261 with 14 RBIs in 22 games for Tampa. The 11th-round pick in the 2012 Draft had 22 stolen bases in 83 games with Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach of the Carolina League before the trade.

Bouncing back: Right-hander Nick Kingham, who had Tommy John surgery in May 2015, pitched five scoreless innings at Palm Beach on Aug. 17 in his first start for Bradenton. He allowed three hits, struck out three and walked none in the 1-0 victory. Pittsburgh's No. 11 prospect made six rehab appearances in the Gulf Coast League, striking out 16 and walking one over 24 innings. Kingman, 24, was pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis when he hurt his elbow.