TCN 2023 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect No. 35 – Patrick Romeri

photo: Patrick Romeri (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2023 reaches no. 35 with an outfielder with great power potential but whose 2022 can be summarized as famine-feast-famine, with nothing in between. FREE report!

Patrick Romeri

Position: Outfielder
Age: 21 years old
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight – 6’3/195
Acquired: Selected in the 12th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, 365th overall

Home: Sarasota, Florida

Opened 2022: Palm Beach Cardinals (Low-A)
Primary team in 2022: Palm Beach Cardinals (Low-A) injured list
Finished 2022: Peoria Chiefs (High-A)

Prior Top 50 ranking – 2022 #28, 2021 #29, 2020 #48

Click on the above photo to be taken to Romeri’s player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.

Link to Romeri’s career stats

Blake Newberry’s scouting report

Blake’s ranking – no. 34

(current grade/future grade)

Hit Power Field Arm Run FV
30/40 35/60 55/55 50/50 50/50 35
AVG OBP SLG OPS HR SB CS BB% K%
.254 .322 .420 .742 5 6 2 8.9% 29.2%
BB/K ISO wRC+ GB% LD% FB% Pull% Cent% Oppo%
0.25 .166 83 (FCL)

182 (A)

48 (A+)

 46.3% 20.3% 33.3% 40.0% (FCL)

44.6% (A)

42.3% (A+)

 26.7% (FCL)

14.3% (A)

28.8% (A+)

 33.3% (FCL)

41.1% (A)

28.8% (A+)

Patrick Romeri has been a slow mover through the minor leagues but he has shown plenty of tools that make him a promising prospect. His carrying tool will be his power but it’s still more in the raw power than game power territory.

That’s mostly because he has a ground ball-oriented swing and has yet to consistently elevate the ball as a professional. So don’t be deceived by his low home run total this season – he has plenty of pop in his bat and he is known for high exit velocities that touched 108 mph while still in Single-A.

The other problem for Romeri is that he can struggle with making consistent contact. He has very much a power over hit profile and high averages will never be his thing. He draws plenty of walks with his patient approach and if he can figure out how to elevate, he should be more than able to overcome a low average.

When he gets into one, this is what he can do:

As you can see from those videos, Romeri generates great bat speed and his bat whips through the zone. This is where his plus power comes from.

His season long power totals may not look super impressive, but I should note that he did hav4e a whopping .299 ISO in the Florida State League, which is known for suppressing power. He didn’t tap into his power very often after his promotion to Peoria but it’s still there.

He also missed a lot of time with injury this year which meant that he didn’t get a chance to overcome his early struggles in Peoria. The outfielder missed about 2 ½ months this season. Though those injuries came while he played for Palm Beach, they likely delayed his promotion to Peoria.

Injuries are especially tough for a player who has been a slow mover, but I expect him to have a much better showing in Peoria if he can stay healthy in 2023.

Romeri isn’t just a promising hitter. He is an athletic player who is still playing center field despite his listed size of 6’3” and 195 pounds. That’s a good sign that he’s still trusted enough to play the most valuable defensive position in the outfield. That gives me confidence that he can be an above average corner outfielder, which is what he will eventually become as he fills out his frame more.

He has a strong enough arm to stick in the corners and I would expect him to be an asset out there, or at least an average player. That makes him an average or better runner, defender, thrower, and power hitter. That’s a promising profile!

What holds me back from ranking him higher is his limited contact abilities and the fact that his raw power has yet to translate to consistent game power. That means that he does still have a lot of development ahead of him.

Summary: Patrick Romeri’s bat is still a question mark despite plus raw power and great exit velocities. If he can tap into his power stroke more consistently then he could become a solid all-around player in the outfield. With a lot of development still needed, though, i still consider him a risky prospect.

Future Value: 35
Role: AAAA guy/reserve
Risk: High

Brian Walton’s environmental impact report

Brian’s ranking – no. 34

Background

The Florida native and former Villanova commit was considered a long shot to sign coming out of high school in 2019, but the Cardinals convinced Romeri to sign for $75,000 over the highest non-penalty bonus of $125,000.

Romeri showed plenty of promise in his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, slashing .246/.346/.464/.810 in 162 plate appearances. He collected 15 extra-base hits (six doubles, three triples and six home runs) while driving in 20.

Romeri’s 11.7% walk rate, which added 100 points to his so-so batting average for a strong .346 OBP, suggested a fairly advanced eye at the plate for his age. However, his 28.4% strikeout rate needed improvement.

While he did not run a lot, Romeri was 4-for-4 in steals and added three triples. Further, he grounded into just one double play all summer long and crossed home plate 23 times in his 41 games played.

His wRC+ of 129 was the best of all Cardinals’ high school draftees in 2019 and third-best of all players signed by the Cards that summer.

The right fielder committed just one error all season and led GCL outfielders with four assists. All things considered, Romeri was The Cardinal Nation’s 2019 GCL Cardinals Player of the Year.

In January 2020, Romeri was the youngest of the just six outfielders invited to 2020 instructional camp in Jupiter. Further, he was the only player in the entire camp of almost 40 players who finished 2019 at the lowest level of the system in the US.

However, Romeri was in the tier of players whom the Cardinals could not fit onto their 60-man player pool for 2020. So, his entire year consisted of instructs.

Romeri was one of a handful of 2019 GCL players who made the big jump to open 2021 with Low-A Palm Beach. There is nothing wrong with a Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) of 102 at Class A at the age of 20, especially given the increase in competition level. On the other hand, one would hope a top prospect would excel, not hit around league average.

Patrick Romeri (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

In 2021, Romeri tied for second on the Beach Birds in doubles and home runs with 17 and seven, respectively. He was also second with 42 free passes (with his season-to-season walk rate increasing to 13.0%). Having said that, it is also fair to note that several of his teammates were promoted ahead to Peoria during the season, while he remained in Florida the entire way, growing his counting stats.

Other than a stint of the minimum duration of seven days on the injured list in late June, Romeri was active all season long. Through July, his season looked to be a washout, with his disappointing OPS hanging around .650.

However, Romeri showed considerable improvement to close the season. His OPS in August was .783 and it jumped to .832 in September. The growth was fueled by a 50-point growth in OBP and a 100-point jump in slugging, including five of his seven long balls.

On the negative side, Romeri led Palm Beach with 95 strikeouts. His 29.5% K rate was not great but was only minimally higher than his 2019 mark. Romeri plated just 30 runners in his 79 games, tied for sixth among Beach Birds despite hitting primarily in the fifth and sixth spots in the batting order.

Despite his emerging power bat, Romeri did not impress with his legs. He did not triple during 2021 and was caught in four of his seven stolen base attempts.

2022 recap

2022 was a year of extremes for Romeri, going from famine to feast and back to famine again – with nothing in between. Opening the season, he returned to Palm Beach. The right-handed hitter was limited to just seven games through June after being slowed in the first half with injuries.

Back to work, in July, he went wild. Romeri led all Cardinals minor leaguers with a .390 average (23-for-59), and ranked second in slugging percentage (.780) and OPS (1.226) across 17 games for Palm Beach and one game for High-A Peoria, having been promoted on July 29.  He also ranked in the top three in extra-base hits (12, tied for first) and total bases (46, tied for third).  Romeri reached base safely in all 15 July starts and recorded a hit in 14 of them.

He was named the system wide July Player of the Month by The Cardinal Nation and the Co-Player of the Month by the Cardinals organization (shared with Springfield’s Chase Pinder).

Patrick Romeri (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

August and September in his new challenge in the Midwest League were oddly quiet.

Appearing in just 22 games for Peoria from August 1 through the remainder of the season, Romeri finished his High-A debut with a disappointing .193./.269/.241/.510 slash line. He struck out at a career-high rate of 34.4% and his walk rate was 8.6%.

After the season, one scout said that Romeri “looks the part and has the tools” but he did not understand why the outfielder was not playing regularly at High-A.

Whether his slow start with Peoria led to reduced playing time or he was slowed by injury again is not known. Romeri remained on the active roster during his 2022 stay with the Chiefs but did not play every day and sat out entirely from August 27 until September 3.

His 108 wRC+ for the season masks the exceptional 182 with Palm Beach, followed by the dismal 48 with Peoria. His 2022 was like having one hand in the oven and the other in the freezer.

2023 outlook

This is the first time in this year’s rankings that Blake and I both landed on the exact same placement on our individual lists. However, we don’t agree on everything.

It is hard for me to peg Romeri as a slow mover. At age 21, he finished 2022 at High-A, the same level at which he probably would have been assigned had been drafted this summer as a college junior.

On the other hand, I understand – to a point. Romeri is already in his fourth year in these rankings. He was drafted 12 months ahead of celebrated high schoolers Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn, who have charged ahead for more quickly. But no one is suggesting that the former 12th-rounder Romeri is one of the top two prospects in the system. That yardstick against a pair of first rounders wouldn’t be a fair comparison.

Further, Romeri is ahead of Tink Hence, who was drafted as a prep star the same year as Walker and Winn. And Hence hasn’t been penalized in prospect rankings for the pace his advancement as a professional.

Having said all that, we both agree that it is time for Romeri to shake off his injury-slowed recent history and accelerate his upward progression.

Romeri should return to High-A Peoria to open 2023. Perhaps another shot the smaller ballparks of the Midwest League will enable him to accelerate his power growth and reach Double-A during the second half.

Future outlook

Romeri is one of many whose progress toward the majors in his initial organization was negatively impacted by the lost year of 2020, but his down time in 2021 and especially 2022 was due to injury.

He will become Rule 5-eligible following the 2023 season but will have to show a lot more than he has to-date to put himself in contention for a 40-man roster spot, or even if not, to become a viable Rule 5 target.

Double-A is the point by which we need to start seeing progress from players rather than only talking about their potential. During one month of 2022 at Low-A, Romeri showed what he can do when putting his entire game together.

A year ago, I wrote that Romeri could reach St. Louis by late 2024. That looked fine then, but it feels too optimistic now. Until he becomes a more consistent offensive force, his future ceiling may be that of a major league reserve starting sometime in 2025.

MLB debut: 2025
Rule 5 Eligible: 2023

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

TCN 2023 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #36 – Adari Grant

Our 2023 Top 50 series continues

To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles breaking down the list.

50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2023

Not yet a member?

If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system, including access to every article in our 2023 Top Cardinals Prospects series.

© 2022 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.