The Yankees 2nd rounder

Read below and see how the red sox's son talks about the Yankees http://www.yankeeticketsforsale.com http://www.yankeeticketsforsale.com

The College Story

Andrew Romine knows what it means to live and nearly die with a sport.He's lived the high life at Arizona State, starting at shortstop as a freshman on a team that made a dramatic run at the College World Series. He has been told by a doctor, "I'm surprised you're sitting in front of me breathing right now" because of blood clots that put his life at risk.Now he is on the verge of another chance to earn a national title, like his father did with the Sun Devils in 1981.
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"It's been crazy," Romine, 21, said. "To be honest, I wouldn't want it any other way. If it's just handed to us, that's no fun, either. It's the hard work that makes the winning so good. It's been the most exciting three years of my life."Everything that happened before and after is framed by the fall of 2005. He returned to school with a swollen left arm from a weightlifting injury. Blood clots were discovered during a physical, and rather than being in class and at practice, he found himself in intensive care and on blood thinners.His condition, called thoracic outlet syndrome, required rib removal surgery in January 2006. Yet rather than miss an entire season, as first expected, Romine returned in time to play in 22 of ASU's final 30 games.That was no surprise to ASU coach Pat Murphy. Romine was hit by a pitch in the face, requiring stitches below his right eye at the 2005 College World Series, yet played errorless ball the next day. "That had to scare him," Murphy said. "Some guys don't ever respond from that. Then he's not far from death and plays that same year. You put Andrew against the wall, and he responds pretty good."Coming back so soon was physically taxing. Although Romine hit .375 last year, he committed 10 errors in 95 chances. ASU leads the nation in fielding percentage this season, and Romine has 10 errors in 265 chances. He's hitting .303 from the No. 8 position with a career-high 38 RBIs and a team-high 20 stolen bases. He is the only starter left from the 2005 College World Series third-place team."What pro people have to understand is the Andrew's missing a year of baseball," Murphy said. "He didn't get to play in the summer or here (during fall and for half a season) and went through a huge ordeal."In the major league draft Thursday, Romine was a fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels. That's up from the 36th round in 2004 when most teams stayed away because he seemed college bound.Romine's brother, Austin, a catcher and ASU signee, was picked in the second round by the New York Yankees. He is expected to sign rather than take the college route, so the brothers likely will start their pro careers together."I put my subliminal message to there (to Austin)," Andrew said. "I give him the information he needs, and I tell him exactly what goes on (at ASU), and I let him make his own decisions. The draft isn't a defining moment for you or your career. Anybody can get drafted anywhere and still make it to the big leagues."Their father, Kevin was a second-round pick in 1982 and played outfield with the Boston Red Sox for seven seasons before becoming a police detective in California."He's been watching every single game," Andrew said, adding that his father will be at Packard Stadium for a super regional starting Saturday against Mississippi. "He can't stop calling me about it and telling me how we're doing. He's right there with us, Sun Devil to the end, for sure."What Kevin Romine, whose ASU jersey was retired last season, certainly sees in his oldest son is the kind of growth that a father hopes for during college."To hear a doctor say you're lucky to be alive, let alone you might never play baseball again was a shock," Andrew said. "It does make you take a step back. It's something different to be able to step out on a baseball field every single day. You really realize how lucky you are."

Stats: None availableScouting: Austin Romine is a high school catcher with some good tools and some less good tools. He is considered a bat heavy catcher, he has a rocket arm, but his defensive approach leaves something to be desired. Offensively, he has a somewhat low-effort swing, but he consistently makes solid contact. His unorthodox swing is something that the coaches may want to tamper with. He has good gap power and could grow into average home run power; I was unable to find out about his approach at the plate - taking pitches and that sort of thing. He’s not the fastest guy on the block.His defensive approach is inconsistent - at times he looks really good and at times he can look uncomfortable. On the 20-80 scale (80 is best), he grades out as an 80 in arm strength, which is always good from a catcher. High school runners rarely tried stealing on him but his arm is fairly accurate.An interesting note that helps his case is that he was playing through a somewhat flukey wrist injury all last season, which probably sapped some of his best stuff. He apparently has a good health history, though in high school that means nothing.Signability: Romine has a college commitment, but is likely to sign with the Yankees anyways. He has expressed an interest in signing soon and playing as soon as possible.Other Info: His dad, Kevin Romine, played for the Red Sox, and his brother played college ball and was drafted by the Angels in the fifth round out of college. I have no statistical evidence supporting this, but I get the impression that when players have relatives who have major league experience and/or have relatives who are playing currently, it motivates them to try and reach the majors, and it also gives them an outlet to talk to for advice. I get the impression that this means that they have better chances of reaching the majors.My Take: Romine is the catcher that Yankees fans have been crying for for years. We do have Francisco Cervelli, but it never hurts to have depth, especially at a position like catcher where players rarely stay at the position.I rarely agree with the decision of drafting for need, but Romine is pretty good, and the Yankees can afford to draft for need early on because in the later rounds they can get “signability” picks. When I first heard his name, I had no clue who he was, but he seems pretty good and I get the impression that he’s pretty good. The Yankees will likely make sure that his wrist is fully recovered from the injury and then ease him into their short-season league.

Austin Romine