JoJo Romero

Joseph Abel "Jojo" Romero (born September 9, 1996), is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2020 to 2022. He has played for the Mexico national baseball team.

Early life
Romero was born on September 9, 1996, in Camarillo, California, the eldest of three children. He cites his experience watching his father play in a Southern California baseball league as inspiring him to take up the sport. He is of Mexican descent, and got his nickname from his grandfather who couldn't pronounce his name in English.

Baseball career
Romero attended Oxnard High School in Oxnard, California. In 2013, as a junior, he went 10–2 with a 1.24 earned run average (ERA) along with batting .308. Romero then played college baseball at the University of Nevada and Yavapai College.

Minor leagues
Romero was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth round (107th pick overall) of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. After signing, Romero made his professional debut with the Williamsport Crosscutters. He spent the whole season there, going 2–2 with a 2.56 ERA in ten games.

In 2017, Romero played for the Lakewood BlueClaws and Clearwater Threshers. After posting a combined 10–3 (W–L) record, with a 2.16 ERA, and 128 strikeouts, he was named the Phillies’ minor league pitcher of the year. Showing a glimpse of Romero’s enormous promise, on May 10, 2017, he threw eight one-hit innings against the Greenville Drive, in a BlueClaws home victory at FirstEnergy Park.

In 2018, with the Reading Fightin Phils, Romero was 7–6 with a 3.80 ERA, with 100 strikeouts in 106.2 innings. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions following the 2019 season. On November 20, 2019, Romero was added to the Phils’ 40–man roster.

Philadelphia Phillies
On August 21, 2020, with the Phillies playing a road game in Atlanta, Romero made his big league debut. He pitched the eighth inning, with the Braves ahead 11–2. Romero struck out all three batters that he faced. Romero finished his rookie season with a 7.59 ERA in 12 appearances.

On May 19, 2021, it was announced that Romero would undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2021 season. In 11 games, Romero recorded a 7.00 ERA with 8 strikeouts.

On July 15, 2022, Romero was activated from the injured list to make his return from surgery.

St. Louis Cardinals
On July 30, 2022, Romero was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for infielder Edmundo Sosa. Romero pitched in 15 games for St. Louis down the stretch, recording a 3.77 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 14.1 innings of work.

Romero was optioned to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds to begin the 2023 season.

International career
Romero played for the Mexico national baseball team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.