Ricky Romero May Be Key to Toronto Blue Jays’ Success

Whether Toronto Blue Jays fans like it or not, enigmatic starting pitcher Ricky Romero could be the lynchpin of the team’s success this season.

A few years ago, Romero was the ace of Toronto’s pitching staff. He broke onto the scene in Toronto in 2009 and wowed everyone with his talent, winning 13 games that season and 14 the next year before putting together a banner season in 2011. The lefty went 15-9 that year with a 2.92 ERA, 178 strikeouts and four complete games.

With numbers like those, it was no surprise when he was named the Jays’ Opening Day starter in 2012. He started that year with four straight wins, but just when everything was looking up for Romero, the wheels fell off.  He lost four of his next six outings and later went through a slump that saw him lose 14 of 15 starts. Last year he started just two games with Toronto, spending the majority of the season in the minors while he battled confidence and location issues.

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Everybody knows Romero is running out of chances, but if this preseason is any indication, he might be getting back to his once-dominant self. He has put together two consecutive solid starts for Toronto, leading many to wonder if he might find himself back in the rotation – especially now that Ervin Sanata bailed on the Jays to join the Braves.

“That’s the best we’ve seen him in a while,” Toronto manager John Gibbons told reporters of Romero after Wednesday’s game against Tampa Bay. “He’s feeling good. We’re feeling good about it.

“Confidence is everything in this business,” Gibbons added. “He hit rock bottom but he’s going the right way.”

Romero is visibly more comfortable on the mound this spring and doesn’t seem to be as rattled when he’s missing his spots. He’s also changed his delivery to shorten his motion to the plate and is keeping the ball down. However, he has a long way to go. Romero hasn’t faced a lot of big league hitters yet this spring, so that will be when the rubber hits the road.

Still, considering where he was last year, this is a major improvement. If he’s able to regain his All-Star form, he could be the difference in a rotation that has some question marks. R.A. Dickey is the ace of the staff but wasn’t great in his first season with the Jays. From there, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow, J.A. Happ will likely fill the first four spots, but Romero might be in the mix for the fifth if everything breaks right for him.

After everything he’s been through, it’s about time he catches a good break for a change.

Sports Interaction has the Toronto Blue Jays’ odds at +1300 to win the MLB World Series.