Austin Romine Provides an Irreplaceable Presence in 2020
Toughness, leadership, preparation and the ability to serve as a part-time psychologist are some of the intangibles that any team would love to find in a catcher.
The Tigers have discovered those traits, and perhaps more than they anticipated in their new No.1 catcher Austin Romine.
Former Tigers catcher James McCann opted to leave Detroit in the offseason, which left a void to fill. McCann stayed in the division by taking his all-star caliber talents to a blossoming Chicago White Sox team.
Insert Austin Romine, who spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Yankees, although would've likely played second fiddle to a younger Gary Sanchez had he stayed another season in the Big Apple.
A move to the Motor City came after Romine signed a one-year 4.1 million dollar deal in the offseason.
The younger brother of former Tiger Andrew Romine promptly carved out an important role behind home plate for Detroit. A veteran presence that's been felt not only by Detroit's pitching staff but by all of his teammates in the Tigers clubhouse.
Austin grew up in a baseball family and now has three young children of his own at home. Sons Benjamin and Henry, along with daughter, Kinley. While the relationship between a father and his children isn't quite the same as the bond between battery mates--there are notable similarities.
Mending, nurturing, listening, pampering and learning to live through the ups and the inevitable downs are aspects that crossover when discussing parenting and catching. Both jobs are challenging, but incredibly rewarding, and there's a lot of behind the scenes work that most people won't see.
When Austin leaves home to go to work with his second family, he receives the same warm embrace in the clubhouse that his kids extend when dad arrives.
The work begins bright and early for a starting catcher, typically studying the opposing batters that his pitcher will face.
Michael Fulmer was the latest starting pitcher to be caught by the 31-year-old Austin Romine in the Tigers' nail-biting 7-6 victory over the Cubs on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.
Romine not only did his due diligence behind the dish but also pieced together one of his best offensive performances of the season. The three hits and two RBI were a product of five impressive at-bats on Wednesday.
The right-hander is currently hitting .289 on the season with a .308 OBP and a .729 OPS. All of the aforementioned numbers are above his career averages.
Romine typically resides in the bottom third of Detroit's lineup, which has been a lucrative location for the offense this season. The 7-8-9 hitters managed to go 6 for 14 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs scored on Wednesday night.
"You could have easily had Maybin on here talking to you guys," Romine said to Fox Sports Detroit's Matt Shepard after the game. "He's been the spark plug for us. He's a great guy in the clubhouse. Great guy on the team. He's playing hard tonight. I mean he's just swinging, he's setting the table, getting it done."
Evidently, Romine isn't one to shine the spotlight on himself--he's far more inclined to hand the credit off to a teammate. Yet another intangible that managers crave in a catcher, and an element of his personality that one would assume bodes well during mound visits with pitchers.
The combination of Romine's veteran presence as a catcher and his improved offensive numbers have left pundits wondering if the Tigers will re-sign him in the offseason.
"It's too early to think about who we're going to sign this offseason," said general manager Al Avila. "There's too much uncertainty about 2021. We don't know if we're going to play a full season. We don't know if we're going to play with a full stadium, with 50-percent capacity or 20-percent capacity."
"We'll just have to wait and see."
There may be uncertainty looming around the foreseeable future of the sports world. However, Austin Romine appears to be a source of steadiness and comfort in the viewing pleasures of Tigers fans for the time being.
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