Previewing Seattle Mariners September Call-Ups: The Hitters
September 3, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Stefen Romero (7) bats during the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. The Mariners defeated the Athletics 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Romero’s a non-prospect who has 190 awful MLB plate appearances under his belt as a member of last year’s Mariners, but given his place on the 40-man roster I’d expect to see him get a call-up on or shortly after September 1st. Why? Outfield depth! If he shows something with the bat, maybe the Mariners don’t have to go buy as much outfield depth as they would otherwise this winter. And that’s something.
With Tacoma this year Romero is hitting .294/.333/.487 – sounds like good numbers, and they are, but the PCL’s hitter-happy ways need to be taken into consideration. Fortunately for that we have wRC+, which adjusts for the relative strength or weakness of all hitters in the league. In AAA, Romero’s running a 114 wRC+ – still above average, but not amazing by any stretch. He’s hitting better than he did in 2013, however, and should earn himself a callup and some starts.
Next: Gotta Have That Third Catcher