Wise Boricua Romero charts historic path with Red Sox
As a child Eddie Romero dreamed of following his father to the major leagues. The bright and charismatic son of former Red Sox, Brewers, Tigers and Braves infielder Ed Romero eventually realized that his athletic skills weren’t quite good enough to lead him to a place on the Fenway Park diamond.
Eddie focused on his academics instead, sharpening a superb mind that surely could have led him to prominence in many fields, whether in the legal community, politics or even as a trailblazer in Major League Baseball front offices.
After a brief stint as a prosecutor in Jacksonville, Fla., the University of Florida undergrad and Law School graduate found his way back into baseball in the front office. He’s currently the highest ranking Puerto Rican in a major league front office as one of four members of a transition team that was named to temporarily oversee the Red Sox after David Dombrowski was fired on Sept. 9.
Eddie Romero, who was promoted to assistant general manager of the Red Sox by Dombrowski in 2016, has already made history. No Puerto Rican has ever spent any time overseeing an MLB front office, whether as part of a group or individually.
Moreover, only four men with Latin America ties have served as general managers in MLB history – Dominican Republic native Omar Minaya with the Expos and Mets, Ruben Amaro Jr. with the Phillies, Mexico native Jeff Luhnow of the Astros, and Cuba native Al Avila of the Tigers.
Multiple Boston media outlets, including The Boston Globe and MassLive.com, have mentioned Romero as a “wise” choice to earn the Red Sox’s GM title.
Eddie has definitely paid his dues since joining the Red Sox as an assistant in professional and international scouting in February 2006. During his time in international scouting, the Red Sox signed Rafael Devers, Yoan Moncada, Tzu Wei Lin, Javier Guerra, Gerson Bautista and Darwinzon Hernandez.
Despite his busy schedule, Eddie Romero found time to talk about his career with La Vida Baseball.
Jose de Jesus Ortiz: What advice would you give other young folks who hope to follow your footsteps one day?
Ed Romero Jr. I think the best advice I could give is twofold. First, know that to get into the industry, you have to grind. Go over and above with your work ethic, with ideas. Challenge yourself to find ways to continue improving, and understand the time and sacrifice necessary to succeed. Secondly, surround yourself with people who will make you better – not just at work, but also in your personal life. A strong support group goes a long way in maintaining a productive balance.
JJO: When did you know you wanted to work in baseball front offices one day?
Romero: Like most of the people in the industry, my passion for baseball started at a young age while playing. I always thought I would follow in my father’s footsteps and be a major leaguer myself. However the reality was I simply wasn’t good enough to play professionally, but I loved the game and wanted to find a way to work in baseball. The best avenue to pursue that was working in a team’s front office, so my goal while in college became to find an internship and start that path.
JJO: Your father played in the majors and coached in the majors. What are some of the lessons you learned from your dad’s time in the majors?
Romero: As mentioned before, there is no substitute for hard work. From players to coaches to front office personnel hard work is the backbone of any successful team. And hard work in a front office is much more than being all in from 9-to-5; it’s being accessible at all times and aware of the different needs in your department.
Additionally, we can’t forget that this game revolves around the players, and the goal of every member of the baseball operations staff is to find a way to get the most out of the players and provide the resources for them to succeed.
JJO: What have been the biggest obstacles you have overcome while climbing the front office ladder?
Romero: I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with an organization like the Red Sox, who care about you not only as an employee but also as a person. They take great care of us. We’re currently undergoing a management change, and those can always lead to some uneasiness, but it’s imperative to continue working and motivating others to do the same while being accountable for the things you can control.
JJO: How have your bilingual skills helped you, especially with player development and the international market?
Romero: Being bilingual provided a huge advantage when I was hired. In a time when few upper management personnel come from Latin backgrounds, the ability to communicate with our players and coaching staff in Spanish allows a level of comfort and confidence that may otherwise be difficult to attain. Whether we are trying to sign a Major League free agent, teaching a Venezuelan in A-ball defensive fundamentals, or recruiting a young kid from the Dominican Republic- communicating in their native language encourages open dialogue and builds trust much more quickly. Once a player is comfortable, he can let his talents take over.
Featured Image: Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport