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Philadelphia Phillies: Big 2021 needed from Connor Brogdon, Jojo Romero

By David Esser

Aug 13, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Connor Brogdon (75) throws his first major league pitch which was hit for a home run by Baltimore Orioles catcher Pedro Severino (not pictured) during the eighth inning of the game at Citizens Bank Park. Baltimore won 11-4. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 13, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Connor Brogdon (75) throws his first major league pitch which was hit for a home run by Baltimore Orioles catcher Pedro Severino (not pictured) during the eighth inning of the game at Citizens Bank Park. Baltimore won 11-4. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia Phillies JoJo Romero
Sep 15, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher JoJo Romero (79) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

JoJo Romero: Lefty #2 out of the ‘pen

For a moment there, it looked like the Philadelphia Phillies had really stumbled onto something special with JoJo Romero. He entered the big leagues with shockingly high velocity (97-98 MPH fastball), and eight of his first nine appearances out of the bullpen were good ones. Throw in his Red Bull can crushing antics, and he quickly engrained himself with the Phillies faithful.

However, things tailed off for Romero later in the year. As his role heightened, his play started to decline. He allowed six earned runs over the course of his final 1.1 innings pitched, and he actually finished the 2020 season with a 7.59 ERA. Not great.

Romero is still just 24 years of age, so there’s little reason to bail on him quite yet, however, he’s definitely going to have to find a way to take a step forward this upcoming season. For better or for worse, the Phillies are likely going to be relying on him as their #2 lefty out of the bullpen, a role that will really put JoJo to the test over the course of a full 162 game season.

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Ultimately speaking, Brogdon and Romero probably aren’t ready for such crucial roles. However, sometimes being chucked into the deep end is good for young pitchers. If the two youngsters can rise to the occasion in 2021, it would go quite a long way in terms of helping the Phillies build a playoff caliber bullpen.

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