There was heavy speculation in December that Romero would be selected in the Rule V draft and join a clubs bullpen as a left-handed specialist. Romero was not selected in the draft and followed up with a breakout performance for Toronto.
The 23-year-old began the season in the rotation for the Fisher Cats and went 6-5 with a 2.93 ERA in 12 starts, walking 19 and fanning 70 batters over 73 2/3 innings. Romero was then promoted to Triple-A Syracuse and after a few starts, he was moved to the bullpen. Romero dominated out of the pen, posting a 4-1 record in 30 innings with a 1.50 ERA. He issued just three walks, and struck out twenty-five batters, while holding opponents to a .225 batting average against mark.
In six seasons in the Jays system entering this season, including two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, Romero was 26-16 with a 3.13 ERA.
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