Trade options to get an infielder?

[Sports_Freak]

I'm tired of seeing Raburn and Delmon hack away at any pitch that's thrown. Bounce it, elevate it, it doesn't matter. They swing wildly and can't figure out a 2 strike approach to put the ball in play. If Romero can come up and play a decent defense at 2nd base, not strike out twice a game, I say give him a shot. Every player develops at a different pace. Some are ready when they are very young and some take several years. The only way to find out is to get him up here and play him. It's not like we'll be wasting Raburn's great bat in the line-up. Or his inability to play 2nd base. And Young? He should be gone already but the VMart injury opened a spot for him to DH. Once Dirks is ready, it will be interesting to see who the Tigers keep around. And then if or when VMart is ready? I would be very surprised to see Young still on the team.

[STLTiger69]

Brad Eldred, a hitter with a much better pedigree than Romero, was called up after putting up Barry-Bonds-In-the-early-2000s numbers, and promptly couldn't hit the ball off a tee. Romero's having a nice year in AA, and giving him a chance wouldn't be crazy, but he's a 27 year old middle infielder in AA. Move him up to AAA, see how he does for a few weeks. If he continues it maybe he's worth a callup.

Generally guys like Berry and Romero spend basically their entire career in the minors for a reason.

+1

I respect the view that between the poor play of the Tigers infield and the good minor league numbers Romero is putting up that perhaps Romero deserves a look with the major league ball club. But Vonlenska makes a great point about Eldred and how he owned AAA pitching but was he was later eaten alive by MLB pitchers during his call up. I also think promoting Romero to AAA would be the best move because the Tigers would not have to make a move on the 40 man roster to do so and it would give the Tigers a feel for how Romero can handle more developed pitching.

By the same token, the fact that the Tigers have not fast tracked him to AAA already I think speaks volumes about what the Tigers organization thinks about Romero's ability to contribute at higher levels anyway.

[TigersSlappy]

Niuman Romero would not improve this club, unless you were purely looking for a defensive upgrade.

I'd be hard pressed to believe that he would be a downgrade over what we're seeing. My point is that you and others (and probably rightfully so) would have said the same thing about QB. My thought is with the putrid production we're getting now when would there ever be a better time to give him a chance? Could lightening strike twice? Not likely, but why not see what happens when we already know we're getting nearly zero out of the current options.

[TigersSlappy]

Generally guys like Berry and Romero spend basically their entire career in the minors for a reason.

And sometimes that reason in baseball as in other endeavors is that they never really got a chance, an 11 game cup of coffee 2 years ago doesn't count as a real chance to me.

[TigersSlappy]

LOL...and btw, forgive me for always rooting for the underdog. I love stories of the guys that are/were minor league lifers but hung on and hung on for that slim chance of getting to the show. I'd rather see 25 of them on my team than 25 Elmns that don't care enough to work to maximize their god given talent.

[will the thrill]

I'd be hard pressed to believe that he would be a downgrade over what we're seeing. My point is that you and others (and probably rightfully so) would have said the same thing about QB. My thought is with the putrid production we're getting now when would there ever be a better time to give him a chance? Could lightening strike twice? Not likely, but why not see what happens when we already know we're getting nearly zero out of the current options.

Berry still looks like he's this years Clete Thomas or Brent Clevlen who comes up provides a spark for a few weeks, then levels off before spending life in the minors (still a good gig, + the min MLB salary is nice) but I'd be shocked of QB is still around next year for anything besides trying to win the 5th outfielder spot in spring training.

That being said, I see no reason not to run anyone out there who might provide a spark, most of us thought Rhymes couldn't get the job done either, but he handled it for a few months and provided enough a spark to gain some fans and keep his mlb career afloat

[sagnam]

And sometimes that reason in baseball as in other endeavors is that they never really got a chance, an 11 game cup of coffee 2 years ago doesn't count as a real chance to me.

So why not call up every guy in the system? I mean, maybe they would perform better at the major league level. Don't forget you have to give each guy more than 11 games every couple of years just to check to see if anything has changed. The best part about this strategy is you no longer need scouts because you can get everything you need to know from BR. Never mind that the guys currently there earned it by doing better at the same places at a younger/similar age while also being identified by those same scouts as having MLB tools.

[TigersSlappy]

So why not call up every guy in the system? I mean, maybe they would perform better at the major league level. Don't forget you have to give each guy more than 11 games every couple of years just to check to see if anything has changed. The best part about this strategy is you no longer need scouts because you can get everything you need to know from BR. Never mind that the guys currently there earned it by doing better at the same places at a younger/similar age while also being identified by those same scouts as having MLB tools.

LOL, well taken to the extreme I guess that could be the interpretation. But the reality is that this guy is hitting .326, fields well, plays a position of need so I don't think the idea of bringing him up is quite as absurd as all that.

[TigersSlappy]

Berry still looks like he's this years Clete Thomas or Brent Clevlen who comes up provides a spark for a few weeks, then levels off before spending life in the minors (still a good gig, + the min MLB salary is nice)

And I know this is probably the reality, but for now the story is enjoyable. Obviously QB is enjoying the hell out of this, I'm sure his teammates are and I know the fans are. So even in the face of that reality I'm going to root for the kid until the nice run ends. I'm under no delusion, common sense says it will end sooner rather than later.

[tiger337]

So why not call up every guy in the system? I mean, maybe they would perform better at the major league level. Don't forget you have to give each guy more than 11 games every couple of years just to check to see if anything has changed. The best part about this strategy is you no longer need scouts because you can get everything you need to know from BR. Never mind that the guys currently there earned it by doing better at the same places at a younger/similar age while also being identified by those same scouts as having MLB tools.

I want a chance at the second base job too.

[TigersSlappy]

I want a chance at the second base job too.

Can you hit? ;-)

[STLTiger69]

So why not call up every guy in the system? I mean, maybe they would perform better at the major league level. Don't forget you have to give each guy more than 11 games every couple of years just to check to see if anything has changed. The best part about this strategy is you no longer need scouts because you can get everything you need to know from BR. Never mind that the guys currently there earned it by doing better at the same places at a younger/similar age while also being identified by those same scouts as having MLB tools.

+1
Are we talking baseball or the 4-H club?

Since when did baseball start handing out "Participation Medals"? Congradulations Niuman Romero! your the next contestant on "Lighting in a bottle for the Tigers 2012 season" and for simply making it on the Tigers 40 man roster, you will recieve.....

[STLTiger69]

Can you hit? ;-)

Probably better than Niuman Romero....

and I hear Lee's quite the underdog too, you'll like him even better than Romero!!!!

and what's more to like you say??

LEE CARES A LOT MORE THAN ROMERO EVER WILL!!!!!

[TigersSlappy]

Probably better than Niuman Romero....

and I hear Lee's quite the underdog too, you'll like him even better than Romero!!!!

and what's more to like you say??

LEE CARES A LOT MORE THAN ROMERO EVER WILL!!!!!

lol, ok then, if I'm DD I'll assign him to Erie and see if he can put up some numbers to excite us message board fools. He'd have to realize that even it he hits well there the real sages here will just dismiss him as a washed up prospect, performance doesn't matter just perceptions.

[TigersSlappy]

G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
A 8 Seasons 788 3249 2880 419 778 125 19 15 259 101 61 288 314 .270 .340 .342 .683

B 8 Seasons 731 2887 2514 335 650 107 12 20 269 75 36 278 432 .259 .335 .335 .670

Player A is Jamey Carroll, called up at age 28 has played 11 years in the majors. 14.7 Career WAR - this is his MLB career.
11 Yrs 1136 3715 3215 500 888 130 27 12 239 69 33 369 509 .276 .354 .345 .699

Player B is Romero, so a pretty similar career in MiLB. I know the chances are low he's another Jamey Carroll but it's also evident that many here would have dismissed Carroll too and made jokes about how various posters here could do better than him.


Other long MiLB careers:

Jayson 11 Seasons 736 2989 2530 408 681 139 12 79 394 123 28 381 601 .269 .369 .427 .796
Werth

Scott 11 Seasons 662 2845 2482 381 710 150 13 67 359 54 35 289 373 .286 .360 .438 .798
Brosius

Kevin 9 Seasons 651 2754 2371 364 724 158 8 99 454 20 19 293 324 .305 .388 .504 .892
Millar

Nelson 11 Seasons 739 3100 2746 486 816 170 11 155 535 107 39 282 730 .297 .369 .536 .905
Cruz

Jose 7 Seasons 415 1702 1471 236 419 94 9 52 222 23 13 188 337 .285 .375 .467 .842
Bautista

David 8 Seasons 531 2224 1955 325 606 142 12 90 398 13 18 228 475 .310 .383 .533 .916
Ortiz

And no, I'm not comparing Romero to Bautista or Ortiz, just making the statement that for some people/players it just takes longer for the "light" to come on

[hailtrueblue]

G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
A 8 Seasons 788 3249 2880 419 778 125 19 15 259 101 61 288 314 .270 .340 .342 .683

B 8 Seasons 731 2887 2514 335 650 107 12 20 269 75 36 278 432 .259 .335 .335 .670

Player A is Jamey Carroll, called up at age 28 has played 11 years in the majors. 14.7 Career WAR - this is his MLB career.
11 Yrs 1136 3715 3215 500 888 130 27 12 239 69 33 369 509 .276 .354 .345 .699

Player B is Romero, so a pretty similar career in MiLB. I know the chances are low he's another Jamey Carroll but it's also evident that many here would have dismissed Carroll too and made jokes about how various posters here could do better than him.


Other long MiLB careers:

Jayson 11 Seasons 736 2989 2530 408 681 139 12 79 394 123 28 381 601 .269 .369 .427 .796
Werth

Scott 11 Seasons 662 2845 2482 381 710 150 13 67 359 54 35 289 373 .286 .360 .438 .798
Brosius

Kevin 9 Seasons 651 2754 2371 364 724 158 8 99 454 20 19 293 324 .305 .388 .504 .892
Millar

Nelson 11 Seasons 739 3100 2746 486 816 170 11 155 535 107 39 282 730 .297 .369 .536 .905
Cruz

Jose 7 Seasons 415 1702 1471 236 419 94 9 52 222 23 13 188 337 .285 .375 .467 .842
Bautista

David 8 Seasons 531 2224 1955 325 606 142 12 90 398 13 18 228 475 .310 .383 .533 .916
Ortiz

And no, I'm not comparing Romero to Bautista or Ortiz, just making the statement that for some people/players it just takes longer for the "light" to come on

+1.

Some people act like we want to replace players that are performing with garbage. No, we want to replace garbage with garbage, hoping to find a fraction of treasure.

[STLTiger69]

I know the chances are low he's another Jamey Carroll but it's also evident that many here would have dismissed Carroll too and made jokes about how various posters here could do better than him....and no, I'm not comparing Romero to Bautista or Ortiz, just making the statement that for some people/players it just takes longer for the "light" to come on

Slappy, I applaud you for not taking no for an answer, but your answer is still "NO" on Romero.

Every players circumstances are different as is the reason why they are in the majors, for ironically many of the same reasons Romero is still stuck in the minors.

Comparing Jayson Werth's minor leagues 2,530 AB's with Niuman Romero 2,514 at bats. Sure, Werth hit .269 Avg. and Romero hit .259 Avg. similar right?

Well, in 16 less at bats, Romero has hit for his entire EIGHT YEAR CAREER 20 HR's 269 RBI's 75 SB's. Werth has 79 HR's 394 RBI's and 123 SB's. So yes, if Romero can hit 59 more home runs, drive in 125 more runs and steal 48 more bases in say the next 16 at bats, then your right, Romero would be much more like Werth....

The easiest thing (and most sane thing to do) would be to bump Romero to AAA and see what he does. If he holds his own at AAA, then maybe he's got a chance. The fact that He's in AA and still playing at AA tells you what the Tigers really think of him.

[RobSk]

+1.

Some people act like we want to replace players that are performing with garbage. No, we want to replace garbage with garbage, hoping to find a fraction of treasure.

It's not garbage with garbage. It's replacing guys that are hitting in the .450-.500 OPS range (Raburn) with guys that are in the .700 OPS range and play far better defense. While a .700 OPS for a 2nd baseman is not good, it's not "garbage". It's a 200 point upgrade.

Rob

[qsilvr2531]

Not related to Romero necessarily but there is a difference between trying to catch lightning in a bottle when you have guys hitting like Young, Raburn and Boesch at the ML level and doing so when you have competent major leaguers at those positions. I have to think it makes sense to expand your choices a bit if the guys you are currently using are playing unremarkable to bad defense and unable to crack the .700 (or .500 in Raburn's case) OPS mark.

[sagnam]

It's not garbage with garbage. It's replacing guys that are hitting in the .450-.500 OPS range (Raburn) with guys that are in the .700 OPS range and play far better defense. While a .700 OPS for a 2nd baseman is not good, it's not "garbage". It's a 200 point upgrade.

Rob

That's taking for granted that a 27 year old with questionable tools according to one expert will just be able to step in and put up a .700 OPS.

[TigersSlappy]

Slappy, I applaud you for not taking no for an answer, but your answer is still "NO" on Romero.
Comparing Jayson Werth's minor leagues 2,530 AB's with Niuman Romero 2,514 at bats. Sure, Werth hit .269 Avg. and Romero hit .259 Avg. similar right?

Well, in 16 less at bats, Romero has hit for his entire EIGHT YEAR CAREER 20 HR's 269 RBI's 75 SB's. Werth has 79 HR's 394 RBI's and 123 SB's. So yes, if Romero can hit 59 more home runs, drive in 125 more runs and steal 48 more bases in say the next 16 at bats, then your right, Romero would be much more like Werth....

The easiest thing (and most sane thing to do) would be to bump Romero to AAA and see what he does. If he holds his own at AAA, then maybe he's got a chance. The fact that He's in AA and still playing at AA tells you what the Tigers really think of him.

I debated including any of the other names in there beyond Carroll since they weren't nearly as close statistically. Werth also plays a higher value offensive position than Romero (excepting the 2012 Tigers) so he would need to produce more to get a major league shot.

And it's not that I'm not taking "no" for an answer, I just fail to understand how some here can act as if they KNOW he'll fail. No one knows that for sure until he's been given a chance and failed. I'd love to see him bumped up to Toledo and see what happened, it's very likely that we'd see a drop in production. IF his production held up then I'd love to see him get 75-100 AB's in MLB if for no other reason than the fact he really can't do much worse than what we have had there and it would reward his perseverance. If he failed, he failed but at least he would have had his chance and what more can anyone ask of life?

[tiger337]

Can you hit? ;-)

I batted .400 in Little League one year.

[TigersSlappy]

I batted .400 in Little League one year.

Got me beat, I dreamed of batting .400 in LL once but unfortunately I was a bad glove, weak bat prospect with minus speed.

[Microline133]

Niuman Romero's glove will play very well at the big league level.

Niuman Romero's bat won't come close to playing at the big league level.

I have no difficulty being strong or resolute in stating this.

[tiger337]

Got me beat, I dreamed of batting .400 in LL once but unfortunately I was a bad glove, weak bat prospect with minus speed.

I beat up on the slow pitchers. I couldn't hit any of the kids that could throw heat at a young age. I was a first baseman. I tried out for my high school team, but the starting first baseman was a hitting machine and the back up 1B was about 6-6. So, I ran track instead. I continued to play in a league for HS aged kids not on the HS team, but I went no further.

[TigersSlappy]

Niuman Romero's glove will play very well at the big league level.

Niuman Romero's bat won't come close to playing at the big league level.

I have no difficulty being strong or resolute in stating this.

So what you're saying is that he'd be an improvement? ;-)


...at least in the field.

[STLTiger69]

I debated including any of the other names in there beyond Carroll since they weren't nearly as close statistically. Werth also plays a higher value offensive position than Romero (excepting the 2012 Tigers) so he would need to produce more to get a major league shot.

And it's not that I'm not taking "no" for an answer, I just fail to understand how some here can act as if they KNOW he'll fail. No one knows that for sure until he's been given a chance and failed. I'd love to see him bumped up to Toledo and see what happened, it's very likely that we'd see a drop in production. IF his production held up then I'd love to see him get 75-100 AB's in MLB if for no other reason than the fact he really can't do much worse than what we have had there and it would reward his perseverance. If he failed, he failed but at least he would have had his chance and what more can anyone ask of life?

Let me ask you a fair question, what do you think Boesch or Raburn would hit at AA? Do you think not having to field balls hit by players like Josh Hamilton or Adam Dunn would help or hurt their defense at the AA level too?

I hear a lot from people like you "What do we have to lose?" and I want to pull my hair out. The Tigers are at this exact moment 3.5 games out of first. To give Romero your 75-100AB's means starting him for what, 18 to 25 games? How many games do you want lose and watch Romero go 0-4 or 1-5 before you realize he can't hit MLB pitching? Do you really think he'll be a worthy defensive upgrade over Santiago playing at second or do you think it will be a much better idea just to let Romero's glove try and save the Tigers 2012 season instead?

And this junk about "having his chance" is just plain dumb. He's had his chance for eight years and six teams (let me count them for you, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, New York Mets, Toronto and now Detroit) to prove to he deserves to be in the major leagues. Just hitting over .300 for less than 1/2 a season in AA does not give him a golden ticket/participation medal to play in the major leagues. And saying "how do you know the will fail" is sort of like saying "How do you know a plane that runs out of fuel will crash?" Well, it's called experiance, with names that include Sizemore, Rhymes, Larrish, Dlugah, Hessman, and Holliman are just a few guys that ran out of gas and crashed at the major league level.

[TigersSlappy]

Let me ask you a fair question, what do you think Boesch or Raburn would hit at AA? Do you think not having to field balls hit by players like Josh Hamilton or Adam Dunn would help or hurt their defense at the AA level too?

I hear a lot from people like you "What do we have to lose?" and I want to pull my hair out. The Tigers are at this exact moment 3.5 games out of first. To give Romero your 75-100AB's means starting him for what, 18 to 25 games? How many games do you want lose and watch Romero go 0-4 or 1-5 before you realize he can't hit MLB pitching? Do you really think he'll be a worthy defensive upgrade over Santiago playing at second or do you think it will be a much better idea just to let Romero's glove try and save the Tigers 2012 season instead?

Well we have some evidence for that - in his latest stint at Toledo Raburn hit .194, .533 OPS, Boesch hasn't been down in a couple years but his career MiLB average is .273 & .753 OPS.

The fielding issues MiLB vs MLB have been covered before and perhaps the balls are hit harder in MLB but the fields are nicer too.

And as far as watching Romero how is that so very different from watching Elmn .259/.666, Boesch .232/.621, Raburn .168/.471 AND be hacks in the field? Add in Santiago at .228/.611 and Kelly getting ABs at .186/.530 and Worth at .182/.470, not to mention Inge getting a look while racking up .100/.400 numbers. I seriously wonder how you could question TRYING someone else when we're subjected to that steaming pile of crap on a nightly basis. We know what we're getting there and it stinks.

I find your evidence of those that failed to be a straw man argument, anyone that follows baseball knows many more fail than succeed I could name you 1000 more that failed that doesn't erase the fact that some succeeded when given a shot.

[hailtrueblue]

It's not garbage with garbage. It's replacing guys that are hitting in the .450-.500 OPS range (Raburn) with guys that are in the .700 OPS range and play far better defense. While a .700 OPS for a 2nd baseman is not good, it's not "garbage". It's a 200 point upgrade.

Rob

We are on the same side here, put the guns away. My point was that even if someone like Romero is called up and turns out to be garbage, we really aren't any worse off.

[Longgone]

lol, ok then, if I'm DD I'll assign him to Erie and see if he can put up some numbers to excite us message board fools. He'd have to realize that even it he hits well there the real sages here will just dismiss him as a washed up prospect, performance doesn't matter just perceptions.

Performance doesn't matter as much as ability. Beware small sample size, and yes 200 or 400 ab's is a small sample size. Most fans can't see a players overall ability, they just see the stats, so that's all they have to go on.

[TigersSlappy]

We could have had this same conversation in March, just substitute Quintin Berry for Niuman Romero.

[socaltiger]

Staying within our system the best lineup possible, right now, is Nick C. at 3rd, Peralta SS, Santiago 2B , Miggy 1B and Prince at DH. Or if Nick C must stay down then slide Peralta to 3rd , Santiago to SS and Worth at 2nd. But neither will happen because Defense is not important enough for DD and Leyland and Prince will pout. It is hard to take that after opening Comerica so long ago we still do not focus on speed and defense.

[sagnam]

We could have had this same conversation in March, just substitute Quintin Berry for Niuman Romero.

We could have this conversation about hundreds of minor leagues across all of baseball. Not very many would turn out like Berry. I mean very very few. You could probably count them on one hand.

Also, as ridiculously small a 17 game sample size is, Berry did hit well in spring training. How did Romero do?

[STLTiger69]

Well we have some evidence for that - in his latest stint at Toledo Raburn hit .194, .533 OPS, Boesch hasn't been down in a couple years but his career MiLB average is .273 & .753 OPS.

The fielding issues MiLB vs MLB have been covered before and perhaps the balls are hit harder in MLB but the fields are nicer too.

And as far as watching Romero how is that so very different from watching Elmn .259/.666, Boesch .232/.621, Raburn .168/.471 AND be hacks in the field? Add in Santiago at .228/.611 and Kelly getting ABs at .186/.530 and Worth at .182/.470, not to mention Inge getting a look while racking up .100/.400 numbers. I seriously wonder how you could question TRYING someone else when we're subjected to that steaming pile of crap on a nightly basis. We know what we're getting there and it stinks.

I find your evidence of those that failed to be a straw man argument, anyone that follows baseball knows many more fail than succeed I could name you 1000 more that failed that doesn't erase the fact that some succeeded when given a shot.

You do know that Romero is a SS/2B and Boesch and Delmon Young play outfield right? You know Inge isn't playing for the Tigers anymore? If you want to talk about strawman arguments, keep metioning Boesch, Young and Inge and how calling up Romero will fix that- it's not working and frankly it's insulting.

[STLTiger69]

Well we have some evidence for that - in his latest stint at Toledo Raburn hit .194, .533 OPS, .

Yea, check Raburns minor league career numbers (including the 31 minor league AB's this year your citing as evidence) against Romero's career numbers (including this "break out" half season) and let me know what you find out...

[pyrotigers]

I feel pretty comfortable saying that essentially any starter at AA or above in the minor leagues would be at least as good if not better than Brennan Boesch. I really would be amazed if that was not the case. Heck, a lot of guys in the low minors could probably put up a .260 OBP with horrible defense at a premium hitting position.

[TigerNation]

Let me ask you a fair question, what do you think Boesch or Raburn would hit at AA? Do you think not having to field balls hit by players like Josh Hamilton or Adam Dunn would help or hurt their defense at the AA level too?

I hear a lot from people like you "What do we have to lose?" and I want to pull my hair out. The Tigers are at this exact moment 3.5 games out of first. To give Romero your 75-100AB's means starting him for what, 18 to 25 games? How many games do you want lose and watch Romero go 0-4 or 1-5 before you realize he can't hit MLB pitching? Do you really think he'll be a worthy defensive upgrade over Santiago playing at second or do you think it will be a much better idea just to let Romero's glove try and save the Tigers 2012 season instead?

And this junk about "having his chance" is just plain dumb. He's had his chance for eight years and six teams (let me count them for you, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, New York Mets, Toronto and now Detroit) to prove to he deserves to be in the major leagues. Just hitting over .300 for less than 1/2 a season in AA does not give him a golden ticket/participation medal to play in the major leagues. And saying "how do you know the will fail" is sort of like saying "How do you know a plane that runs out of fuel will crash?" Well, it's called experiance, with names that include Sizemore, Rhymes, Larrish, Dlugah, Hessman, and Holliman are just a few guys that ran out of gas and crashed at the major league level.

Sizemore, when given a shot, proved to be a solid big league option.

[john doe]

lol, ok then, if I'm DD I'll assign him to Erie and see if he can put up some numbers to excite us message board fools. He'd have to realize that even it he hits well there the real sages here will just dismiss him as a washed up prospect, performance doesn't matter just perceptions.

Best post in this little message board discussion. Well played.

[sagnam]

Best post in this little message board discussion. Well played.

If that is the best post in the thread then might as well delete the whole thing. There's nothing of value. I think I'd trust Microline's evaluation over TigersSlappy's any day of the week. One guy talks to scouts, the other looks up stats on BR and gets excited about small samples.

In another post he put together a very short list of "comparable" players who weren't very comparable that had success at the MLB level. Carroll is truly the closest but he seemed to have shown signs of life for a couple years before getting called up. Romero was terrible last year. You could fill volumes with players who are actually comparable to Romero that had NO success at the MLB level.

People hated Will Rhymes here. Best case scenario Romero is worse than Rhymes. Crap, I just looked at Romero's stats again. Until this year the guy hasn't done anything memorable since he was 23. Will Rhymes looks like Ted Williams compared to Romero. I am shocked he's even being talked about.

[TigersSlappy]

Yea, check Raburns minor league career numbers (including the 31 minor league AB's this year your citing as evidence) against Romero's career numbers (including this "break out" half season) and let me know what you find out...

There they are for you, dominant career 272 MiLB hitter.
G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
11 Seasons 688 2896 2529 408 689 166 28 112 441 48 21 306 649 .272 .358 .493 .851

Romero
8 Seasons 731 2887 2514 335 650 107 12 20 269 75 36 278 432 .259 .335 .335 .670

Similar although obviously Raburn had more pop in his bat, and Romero is having a career year so far. Does the fact that Romero can actually field 2B count for anything or are we dismissing that?