With a bushy mustache and a devastating four-pitch mix, the lefty from Northside Little League and Oxnard High has broken into the big leagues with a flourish these last two weeks.
Romero made his debut at Atlanta on Aug. 21, striking out the side while reaching 97 mph on the radar gun, and hasn’t allowed a hit in four outings for the Philadelphia Phillies across 3.2 innings.
For a team that is second in the National League East and in contention for one of eight NL playoff positions in this season’s expanded playoffs, he has struck out six of the first 12 batters he has faced.
Only Atlanta’s perennial All-Star Freddie Freeman had reached base against Romero before Friday, when he worked a walk at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark on Aug. 30.
For the 23-year-old, the lengthy voyage from Oxnard to Reno, including college stops in Prescott, Arizona, and Reno, as well as minor league stops in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Clearwater and Lakewood, Florida, Reading, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, has flown by.
“It’s amazing how quickly time passes,” Romero said. “I can recall every detail of the journey.”
Through friends, family, and especially his father, Oxnard High assistant baseball coach Abel Romero, he’s felt connected to his birthplace the entire way.
“Having half of Oxnard on my father’s Facebook page helps,” Romero added.
On Aug. 21, when his son made his major league debut, Abel recorded the event on Facebook Live.
“They often tell me, ‘I follow you from your dad’s page,’ if I’m at home and see someone at the gym,” Jojo Romero said.
To be honest, Romero and Oxnard’s love is a two-way street.
Last season, when Pacifica High football and Channel Islands High boys soccer won titles, Romero an Oxnard High alum made care to publicly thank both teams.
JoJo Romero Contract
The Philadelphia Phillies signed JoJo Romero to a one-year, $703,000 contract, with $703,000 guaranteed.
JoJo Romero Net Worth
JoJo Romero has a net worth of $500,000 to $1,000,000
JoJo Romero Salary
JoJo Romero makes an annual average salary of $703,000