Philadelphia Phillies first half awards: MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, top minor-leaguers
By John Town
Top minor-league pitcher-JoJo Romero
Like the hitters, there are several deserving pitchers as the top hurler in the farm system so far this season. One pitcher who has especially stood out this year is lefty JoJo Romero.
The Phillies selected Romero last year in the fourth round of the draft from Yavapai junior college, the same place that Ken Giles and Curt Schilling attended before being drafted. He was solid last year in short-season Williamsport with a 2.56 ERA in 10 games.
However, Romero has taken it up a notch this season. He started off the year in Low-A Lakewood and was quite effective. In 13 starts, Romero logged 79 strikeouts and walked just seven percent of opposing hitters while allowing just 18 earned runs in 76.2 innings.
After dominating the South Atlantic League, Romero was promoted to High-A Clearwater and has been effective there as well. He has walked five batters in 12.1 innings there but has also struck out 19 while giving up no runs and just four hits.
Also worth pointing out is the fact that Romero has not made a single error in 25 chances so far this year.
Romero is one of the lesser-known pitching prospects the team has, but as one of the few lefties worth talking about in the system, the 20-year old could rise through the ranks quickly.
Next: MLB Futures Game: How to watch Kingery, Hoskins
Honorable Mentions: Ranger Suarez, Tom Eshelman