Minnesota Twins MiLB Weekly: Fernando Romero’s Return From Injury

Minnesota Twins prospect Fernando Romero is pitching well after a season long injury.

Fernando Romero is pitching exceptionally well since his return. The Minnesota Twins No. 17 prospect missed all of 2015 and most of 2014 due to an injury which required Tommy John surgery.

Finally back on the mound, Romero is tearing it up for the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

Romero has factored into the decision in all five of his starts this season. Currently his record stands at 4-1. He’s tied with Sam Clay for the lead among the current Kernels roster in wins.

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His most impressive win came June 8 when Romero pitched seven shutout innings on just 69 pitches. In that start he allowed only four hits, walked one, and struck out seven batters.

It was the longest outing of his professional career.

After the start the Kernels pitching coach, J.P. Martinez, had this to say about Romero’s outing.

"“The first time through the lineup, he was getting such early count outs, first or second pitch, that the second time through… he was able to show his full mix and show that he could not only get early count outs but could put guys away. For me, that says a lot about his makeup. He wasn’t just trying to get by. He was trying to be aggressive.”"

With a 68 percent strike rate this season, Romero is undoubtedly pitching aggressively.

Romero currently has a 1.93 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP in 28 1-3 innings pitched this season. His 5.8 H9 and 1.6 BB9, should these statistics stand, are the lowest of his career. His 8.0 K9 rate is sitting right below his career 8.5 K9 average.

Remember, he’s pitching this well after almost two years out of baseball recovering from Tommy John surgery. Romero in just five starts has become the Kernels best starter.

Odd But True Note: Romero has yet to give a home run this year. In his career, he’s given up one, coming in 2014. It was a solo home run hit by Michael Ratterree, an outfielder in the Milwaukee Brewers organization who retired at the end of last season.