Seth Daniel Romero (born April 19, 1996) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He played for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) during the 2020 season. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

Cougars The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, '' KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North, Central and South America, making it the most widely distributed wild ...

and was drafted by the Nationals in the first round of the

2017 MLB draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

Amateur career

Romero attended

Columbia High School Columbia High School may refer to: *Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama) *Columbia High School (Georgia) *Columbia High School (Florida) *Columbia High School (Idaho) *Columbia High School (Illinois) *Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...

West Columbia, Texas West Columbia is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States. The city is centered on the intersection of Texas Highways 35 & 36, southwest of downtown Houston. The population was 3,644 at the 2020 census. The 1st Congress of the Repub ...

. As a senior, he had a 1.35

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) with 131

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

over 62 innings. He was not drafted coming out of high school and attended the

where he played

for the

. As a freshman at Houston in 2015, Romero appeared in 22 games and made eight starts. He had a 7–4 record with a 1.94 ERA, 92 strikeouts and seven saves. Prior to his sophomore season in 2016, he was suspended indefinitely for "conduct detrimental to the team", described in media reports as poor physical conditioning. He returned from the suspension after missing two starts, crediting his weight loss to the work of Houston strength and conditioning coach Ryan Deatrick, and appeared in 15 games with 13 starts. He finished 6–4 with a 2.29 ERA and 113 strikeouts. As a junior in April 2017, Romero was suspended by the team for a second time, reportedly after failing a drug test, missing curfew, and being photographed in uniform holding a bong. At the time of the suspension, he was 3–3 with a 3.03 ERA and was leading the nation with 76 strikeouts. He was re-instated in May. However, Romero played just two games after being reinstated before he was dismissed from the team. ''

The Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'' reported Romero had been involved in a fight with a teammate, precipitating his final dismissal from the team after a series of previous disciplinary incidents.

Professional career

Washington Nationals

The

selected Romero with 25th overall choice in the

2017 MLB Draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

. He signed with the team on July 7, reportedly accepting an over-slot $2.8 million signing bonus. While the Nationals' scouting director said he believed Romero's "stuff" could immediately be effective in

, the team's general manager, Mike Rizzo, said he did not expect Romero to make his major league debut in the 2017 season. Romero was assigned to the

GCL Nationals The Florida Complex League Nationals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Washington Nationals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The t ...

, and after one scoreless appearance, was promoted to the

Auburn Doubledays The Auburn Doubledays are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) that is located in Auburn, New York. From 1958 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) ...

where he posted a 5.40 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 20 innings to finish the season. Ranked as the fifth-best Nationals prospect before the 2018 season, Romero was placed on the Nationals' early camp roster for spring training that year. However, he was ordered to leave camp on March 5 for reportedly violating team policy. On June 6, he was reinstated and assigned to the

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A (baseball), Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They pl ...

of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

. However, Romero made just seven starts and saw his season end early as he underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

at the end of August 2018. Romero did not play in the 2019 season. On June 28, 2020, the Nationals announced he would be a non-roster member of their 60-man "player pool" for the

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

-shortened 2020 season. After placing left-handed reliever

Sean Doolittle Sean Robert Doolittle (born September 26, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, and Seattle Mariners. He won the 201 ...

on the injured list on August 13, 2020, the Nationals selected Romero's contract and promoted him to the major league roster for a game against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. Romero appeared in just three games at the major league level, pitching to a 13.50 ERA out of the Nationals' bullpen, before being placed on the injured list with a broken right hand suffered in an off-field accident; the Nationals said Romero had fallen on the stairs. Romero bounced around the Nationals' minor league system in 2021, pitching innings across four levels without making it back to the major leagues. In January 2022, he was arrested for

driving while intoxicated Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether recreational or ...

Sweeny, Texas Sweeny is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, the westernmost incorporated town in the county. The population was 3,626 as of 2020. The city's motto is "A City with Pride". The city was once known as Adamston. Geography and transpo ...

. Romero was placed on the 60-day injured list on April 7, 2022, with a left calf strain. He began a rehab assignment on August 24 with the rookie–level

Florida Complex League Nationals The Florida Complex League Nationals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Washington Nationals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The t ...

. He was activated from the injured list on August 27 and optioned to the Double–A

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

. Romero was released by the Nationals on November 14, 2022, after he was again arrested in Sweeny for driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance.

Cleburne Railroaders

On May 7, 2024, Romero signed with the

Cleburne Railroaders The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The team, which began play in 2017, plays i ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. He made 2 appearances out of the bullpen, registering a 20.25 ERA with 7 strikeouts over 4 innings. On May 15, Romero was released by the Railroaders.

Pitching style

Romero throws left-handed, with a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

that sits at about . He also throws a slider regarded by scouts as "above-average", as well as a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

. In college, he was known as a strikeout pitcher with solid command of his pitches. After drafting Romero, the

said publicly they planned to develop him as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

rather than pressing him into a relief role.

References

External links

Houston Cougars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, Seth 1996 births Living people Auburn Doubledays players Baseball players from Brazoria County, Texas Cleburne Railroaders players Florida Complex League Nationals players Gulf Coast Nationals players Hagerstown Suns players Harrisburg Senators players Houston Cougars baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers People from West Columbia, Texas Rochester Red Wings players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen