Will Giants be end of Ricky Romero’s long road?

By Art Spander

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There were days when Ricky Romero would sit and wonder, “Why me?” Why someone in his prime, someone so skilled, someone “so dedicated and passionate about the game of baseball,” as he described himself, would suddenly have his body fail him and send him crashing not just out of the majors but out of the game.

He was the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, from Cal State Fullerton, and in six years an All-Star for the Toronto Blue Jays. So perfect an arc for anyone, especially a kid from the barrio, from East Los Angeles. A lefthanded pitcher, and you know how valuable they are.

In his late 20s the value diminished. An elbow ache. He compensated by trying to drive harder off the mound, and both knees — sore from running the stadium steps to get in shape — went bad.       

As did his ERA, ballooning to 5.77 in 2012 from 2.92 the previous year. He underwent surgery on each knee. And struggled. Although he had $8 million coming, in 2014 the Jays sent him to Triple A Buffalo. He was pounded in two starts and cut.

“I asked myself, am I just going to sit here and feel sorry for myself or am I going to go to work and do what I have to do?” Romero remembered. “There were a lot of rehab days where I said, ‘This is it. I’m just tired of being in pain.’ Then finally the Giants called. They said, ‘We don’t want you ready for this year (2015). We want you ready for next year.’ I thought, let’s do it.”

Next year arrived on a humid, 84-degree afternoon Saturday at Scottsdale Stadium. For the first time in two years Romero pitched against major leaguers. He started the Giants’ Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers, went 1 2/3 innings and although allowing a hit and two walks didn’t give up a run.

Eventually the Giants would be beaten by Texas, 7-5, before a sellout crowd of 11,351. Yet that seemed unimportant. Romero was not. “This was a big day for him,” affirmed Bruce Bochy, the Giants’ manager.

“This,” said Bochy, “has been a long road for him.”

Where it leads is impossible to suggest. Does Romero regain the dominance of the past, at the least find a spot in the rotation of the Giants’ AAA affiliate in Sacramento and then, when and if someone on the San Francisco staff falters or is hurt, move up to the big club? Or does he never make it back to the majors?

“Look at his track record,” said Bochy, an unrelenting optimist. “You can tell he’s got experience just by his poise and how he pitches.”

This comeback hardly is a lark for Romero. He misses the game, misses the clubhouse, misses the feeling of making a contribution. At 31, he doesn’t need the money. He needs the acceptance.

“At this point in my career,” said Romero,” there’s no pressure. I’ve been through it with injuries. Whatever happens, happens because of the work that I put in. I think I did a pretty good job of that. Just to be part of this team, with a coaching staff like this, is pretty cool.”

The knee is healthy. The outlook is healthy. Time and patience were necessary. Obviously a team like the Giants, with pitching depth, a perceptive front office and a large budget, had the smarts and wherewithal to go about it in a proper manner.

“I’m being smart about certain things,” said Romero. “I’m not 23 years old anymore. It’s been a process. After I signed here, I still was rehabbing. I showed up on the minor league side. They saw me play catch for the first time. They’re like, you’re not going on any mound yet, even though I had thrown live batting practice in Toronto.

“So I took a step back. This ain’t a race I had to get back into the year I signed.”

Now the race is underway again.

“My agent asked me over the winter if I wanted to go back with the Giants,” said Romero. “I said, 'If they want me back.' They did the job helping me get healthy. If I can help them in whatever way, I will help them. You might be the guy they call up. These guys are winning for a reason.”

Ricky Romero can only wish he’s part of that reason.