The Yankees have picked Kiko Romero, a Junior College World Series MVP, as their seventh-round draft. The first baseman, who hits with his left hand, achieved something incredible by hitting six home runs in six games during the Pac-12 tournament. His outstanding performance helped lead Central Arizona to win the championship, which tied a tournament record.
Kiko Romero hit at .345 and had 21 home runs and 89 RBIs in 59 games.
Baseball America, which ranked him as the 421st best prospect in their top 500 list, provided a scouting report on Kiko Romero. According to the scouting report provided by Baseball America, Kiko Romero has a strong ability to hit the ball with a high exit velocity, measuring around 108–109 mph, which places him in the 90th percentile. His power is evident during games, as he can hit the ball with strength in all areas of the field. However, it is noted that he also tends to miss the ball frequently, with an overall miss rate of approximately 29 percent.
Despite having a decent walk rate of 12.6 percent, Romero sometimes struggles with expanding his strike zone and chasing pitches outside of it. In terms of positions, while Romero initially played as a shortstop and catcher in high school, he has primarily taken on the role of a first baseman at Arizona. He also has experience playing in both corner outfield positions. It is mentioned that Romero’s running speed is below average, earning him a rating of 30 on a 100-point scale
The Yankees were destined to get Kiko Romero
After last year’s big performance, Kip Romera was confident that his outstanding performance in the Junior College World Series last year would lead to him getting picked in the draft. But when the time for the draft came, no team selected the 22-year-old in any of the 20 rounds.
Kiko Romero told the Arizona Daily Star that he had expected to get drafted right after the World Series. He mentioned that after the disappointment, he decided to return home to Tucson and try to replicate his previous performance at Central with the hope of potentially getting drafted this year.
This year, at the age of 22, Kiko Romero repeated his success against tougher opponents. As a result, the Yankees selected him on Monday in the seventh round of the draft.
As a player for a consistently strong team in the Pac-12, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Kiko Romero had an impressive batting average of.345 in 59 games. He also hit 21 home runs and set a new school record with 89 runs batted in (RBI).
In addition to his impressive batting statistics, Kiko Romero also displayed excellent skills and performance as a first baseman.
According to Arizona coach Chip Hale, Kiko Romero played a crucial role on defense by stopping opposing teams from scoring. Hale mentioned that Kiko Romero consistently made impactful plays that prevented runs from being scored.
Yankees 2023 draft picks
- 1st round (26th overall): In the first round of the draft, with the 26th overall pick, George Lombard Jr., a shortstop from Gulliver Prep in Miami, was selected.
- 2nd round: The team forfeited their second-round pick to sign left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon as a free agent.
- 3rd round (97): In the third round, with the 97th overall pick, Kyle Carr, a left-handed pitcher from Palomar Junior College in San Marcos, California, was selected.
- 4th round (129): In the fourth round of the draft, with the 129th overall pick, Roc Riggio, a second baseman from Oklahoma State, was selected.
- 5th round: The team decided to forfeit their fifth-round pick to sign Carlos Rodon.
- 6th round (192): In the sixth round of the draft, with the 192nd overall pick, Cade Smith, a right-handed pitcher from Mississippi State, was selected.
- 7th round (222): In the seventh round of the draft, with the 222nd overall pick, Kiko Romero, a first baseman from the University of Arizona, was selected.
- 8th round (252): In the eighth round of the draft, with the 252nd overall pick, Nicholas Judice, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Louisiana-Monroe, was selected.
- 9th round (282): In the ninth round of the draft, with the 282nd overall pick, Jared Wagner, an outfielder from the University of Arkansas, was selected.
- 10th round (312): In the tenth round of the draft, with the 312th overall pick, Brian Hendry, a right-handed pitcher from Oklahoma State University, was selected.
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