No. 13: Red Sox shortstop prospect Mikey Romero
Mikey Romero didn't have the best 2023. A back injury meant he was going to miss the first few weeks. However, weeks turned into months.
Romero finally made his season debut in Single-A in July. He appeared in 23 games for Salem before being promoted to High-A in the middle of August. However, after three games with Greenville, another injury ended the 2022 first-round draft pick's season.
The left-handed hitter slashed .214/.294/.286 with five doubles and two triples between three levels (FCL, Single-A, High-A). Romero drove in 13 runs, scored 15 more, and stole two bases in 34 games (126 ABs).
It's hard to judge Romero off of this season. He got a late start to the season and barely saw any playing time before getting shut down the rest of the way.
We've seen Romero show off great bat-to-ball skills and the ability to work counts and draw walks. He doesn't possess much power, but there's enough there to make you wonder if he can add some pop as he matures.
Romero is a solid defensive shortstop with a good arm. He has enough speed to get to balls in the hole. That speed should also lend itself well on the bases. Again, it's not elite, but 15-20 steals add an extra wrinkle to his game.
Romero is an interesting prospect because, right now, his only elite tool is his hitting. However, there's potential for him to grow into more power and continue improving defensively. There's enough speed in his game that it should be considered a positive.
So, while Romero's only got one plus tool at the moment, there's a clear vision where we could see more parts of his game sneak into that territory.
Hit: 65
Power: 45
Run: 50
Arm: 55
Field: 55
Overall: 55