The Numbers Lie: J.C. Romero Edition

My initial reaction to the signing of J.C. Romero to a Phillies minor league contract was along the lines of, "Hey, last time I heard about him, he was actually good!" Romero was a mainstay of my fantasy teams before we came to our senses and stopped giving out points for Holds.

A guy who was a star middle reliever in Minnesota not too long ago and a member of a winning 'pen this year is a godsend to the Philadelphia bullpen, right?

Right?

"Romero, who was released June 18, went 1-0 with a 3.15 earned run average in 23 appearances this season for Boston,"

Yes! I knew it. Are the Sox that rich with talent that they can afford to let this guy get away?

"but those numbers are deceiving."

Uh-oh.

"He allowed 24 hits and 15 walks in 20 innings. Opponents hit .308 against him.

'His command had not been great,' Amaro said. 'He had more walks than strikeouts [11], but our reports on him are pretty good as far as his stuff is concerned. It's a matter of him getting back to his old form, hopefully.'"

So he's basically a sieve right now. But at least his "stuff" is good, so get a good look at that gorgeous breaking ball before somebody rips it down the right field line.

Romero hasn't actually thrown since early June, when Boston first designated him for assignment, hence his placement on the Phils' rookie league team. With the current status of the Phillies bullpen--primarily the breakdown of Geoff Geary after pitching 90+ innings last season and on a 75-inning pace for this year--I'm guessing it won't be too long before Romero gets his shot at being the Man in the Middle.

Hey, it could be worse.

Team Is Hoping Romero Can Help [Philly.com]