It was a big week for San Fernando left fielder Jose Romero. On Wednesday, Romero swatted three dingers in a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Des Moines. On Friday, Romero hit his 500th career home run against Des Moines. And when Monday came around, Romero was named the Frick League player of the week. It concluded a seven game stretch in which Romero was 10-for-27 with 5 home runs and 10 RBIs.
38 year-old Jose Romero signed a 1-year, $9.5M contract with the Bears midway through spring training. Scouts report that his physical abilities deteriorated quickly since the end of the 2058 season, seeing his outfield range diminish considerably along with drops in power and patience at the plate. Time appears to be a construct, however, as Romero has posted only -1.0 zone rating in left field while batting .271/.322/.564 for the struggling Bears. With 49.6 career WAR, Romero is more likely destined for the Hall of Very Good than the Brewster Hall of Fame but his 500 career home runs are a testament to him being among the most feared sluggers of his generation.
In other news, the long anticipated return of Alexander Swanson occurred after four weeks of rehab in AAA. On 7/22 Swanson threw 5.2 shutout innings against the Louisville Sluggers with 7 strikeouts and no walks. The 27 year-old starting pitcher consistently accrued ~3 WAR as a member of the San Fernando starting rotation from 2055-2058 before being shutdown for nearly a year at the end of last season due to a torn elbow ligament. Swanson has one more year of arbitration control for the team.