For most of the season, Austin Romine has struggled at the plate. Known more for his defense, his offensive skills were viewed as incomplete. After all, he only played in 31 minor league games last season due to back injuries. Now it seems as if Romine is finally putting it all together at the plate.
Coming into today’s game against the White Sox, Romine is hitting .375 (18-for-48) with seven extra-base-hits and six RBI over his last 16 starts behind the dish. On July 11, he was hitting .153 and is now hitting .227 – pretty impressive for someone who was on the interstate for most of the season. What we’re seeing from Romine now are more line drives and more balls in the gap, signifying that he’s driving the ball and recognizing pitches better than he did at the beginning of the season.
Romine’s defense is probably the main reason he’s at the big league level right now. His ability to call a game, handle a pitching staff and block balls in the dirt has impressed the Yankees so far, especially since he’s just 24-years-old. If Romine can continue his offense output while keeping up his defensive game, the Yankees may have a nice catcher on their hands for the future.
