Southwest Riverside County Shortstop Drafted By Boston Red Sox

MENIFEE, CA — Menifee's Mikey Romero has been in the conversation of best high school shortstops coming out of the class of 2022, and the Boston Red Sox wasted no time in snagging him.

During Sunday's first round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft, Romero was the first pick for the Sox, 24th overall.

The 18-year-old Orange Lutheran High School grad has committed to Louisiana State University, but plans are changing.

"Time to win a world Series’s. GO TIME," Romero tweeted with a share from the Red Sox announcing him as the team's first-round pick.

San Diego County native Marcelo Mayer, selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2021 MLB draft, gave Romero a shoutout Sunday.

"Lets go Mikey!!!! Lets get to work brother!!" Mayer posted on Twitter.

Boston's 98.5 Sports Hour radio weighed in on the home team's Romero pick, touting the prospect's impressive bat-to-ball skills.

"He rarely strikes out and can use all fields," according to the 98.5 piece. "Romero is a smooth defender with more than enough arm to go along with the range, instincts and footwork to stay at shortstop for a long time."

The Southwest Riverside County son's dream of making it to the big show goes back. On Sunday he shared a photo of himself on social media donning a Red Sox little league uniform, shades, baseball beads, and a little swagger — maybe circa 2010.

Today he's a 175-pounder who is still growing into his listed 6-feet-1-inch-tall frame. He's a lefty hitter but throws right-handed.

He made an impression at the 2022 MLB Draft Combine last month at San Diego's Petco Park where the top 300 draft-eligible players were invited to show off their skills.

MLB commentators Carlos Callazo and Jonathan Mayo praised Romero's hands and his surprising slugging power that will likely get bigger when the youngster adds more muscle in coming years.

Romero's athletic prowess must be in the genes. His two older sisters, Sierra and Sydney, are legends on the softball field.

"They’re the most well-known siblings in the sport," according to Athletes Unlimited, which signed the sisters. Rounding out the Romero crew is little sis, Sophia, who is part of the OC Batbusters softball club, according to the AUX report.

Parents Mike and Melissa are the support staff for the small Romero sports dynasty, but the kids pitch in too.

“We really are just like a little team and we just try to help out whenever we can,” Sierra told AUX.

The city of Menifee is definitely claiming Mikey Romero as its own. The city shared this message Tuesday on social media, "Exciting News! Mikey Romero, a Menifee resident, was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the MLB draft. Let’s show some Menifee support for Mikey Romero!"