Nats Bad Boy, First Round Pick Seth Romero, Has Been Sent Home From Spring Training For Violating Team Rules
Washington Post - The Washington Nationals have sent 2017 first-round pick Seth Romero home from spring training for violating a club policy, according to a club spokesperson. Romero, 21, did not violate an MLB policy — just an organizational one — but no further information about the cause of his suspension was immediately available.
The Nationals drafted Romero 25th overall in the 2017 draft, eschewing a long-honed policy of avoiding players with off-field issues in favor of taking the most talented arm available. The hard-throwing lefty, who some within the organization felt could be major league ready as soon as this season, was kicked off his team at the University of Houston for a variety of offenses including a failed drug test, a picture taken in uniform with drug paraphernalia and a fistfight. At the time of the pick, General Manager Mike Rizzo said he made clear to Romero that the Nationals were not afraid to send him home after a misstep. Apparently, they were not.
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Well, one thing is for sure- nobody will ever claim Seth Romero went off-brand. That’s extremely important in 2018. And man, Seth Romero could not be more on-brand if he tried. Getting kicked out of your first ever Spring Training is hard to do. You would think a 21 year old trying to impress the club that just took a flier on him in the first round would be on top of his manners, holding doors for old ladies, up when the rooster crows and asleep before the sun sets. Nope. Not our guy Seth Romero.
Obviously it’s not the best news that he was sent home, but it’s not like he’s the first troubled kid to join a major league team and get sent home, and he won’t be the last either. When there’s millions of dollars on the line if you just shut up and throw a baseball, most seem to figure it out as they get older. Not saying his age is an excuse, but there’s still time to learn. I mean shit, he already lost weight, so that’s a good start.
Step 2: Stop fighting everyone.
We’ll get there. Bad boy life doesn’t go away all at once. He’ll get there.