Austin Romine, Catcher, Cincinnati Reds

Date of Birth: 11/22/1988
Birthplace: Lake Forest, California

Austin Romine, catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, is following in the footsteps of his father who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1985 through 1991. His brother, Andrew, was also a major leaguer.

Romine was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2007 and he played in one game in the minor leagues that year. From 2008 through 2014, as a Yankees minor leaguer, he had 573 hits, 119 doubles, 291 RBIs, 374 strikeouts to 166 walks, and a .275 batting average in 553 games. As a catcher, he made 276 assists, 3,041 putouts, and 32 errors. He caught players trying to steal 24% of the time and he had a .990 fielding percentage.

In 2011, Romine made his first appearances in the major leagues, playing in nine games with the Yankees. He had back issues in 2012 that limited his total playing time to just 31 games in the minor leagues. He had the chance to play in 60 games with the Yankees in 2013 and he had 28 hits and a .207 batting average. He spent most of the 2014 season in the minor leagues, playing in just seven games with the Yankees. In 2015, he played in just one game with the Yankees.

Romine batted .242 in 62 games with the Yankees in 2016. Defensively, he played 6 games at first base and caught 50 games.

Romine batted .218 in 80 games with the Yankees in 2017. Defensively, he played 12 games at first base and 67 games as a catcher. In the postseason, he had no hits in 2 at-bats in 2 games.

Romine played in just 77 games in 2018. He finished the season with 59 hits, 42 RBIs, and a .244 batting average. Defensively, as the Yankees' catcher in 76 games, he made 48 assists, 668 putouts, and 4 errors. He caught players trying to steal 26.2% of the time and he had a .994 fielding percentage.

Romine finished the 2019 season with 64 hits, 35 RBIs, 50 strikeouts to 10 walks, and a .281 batting average in 72 games. Defensively, as the Yankees' catcher in 70 games, he made 26 assists, 610 putouts, and 2 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 30.3% of the time.

Romine became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed with the Detroit Tigers on December 13th.

Romine played in 37 games in 2020. He finished the season with 31 hits, 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 17 RBIs, 47 strikeouts to 4 walks, and a .238 batting average. Defensively, he was the Tigers' catcher in 37 games.

Romine elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He signed with the Chicago Cubs on January 22, 2021. He spent most of the 2021 season on the IL, playing in just 28 games with the Cubs.

Romine became a free agent on October 5, 2021. He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels on March 13, 2022, and he was released on May 31st. He then signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on June 17th. He was traded to the Reds on August 2nd.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Austin Romine
ESPN - Austin Romine
Baseball Reference - Austin Romine