Daily notes on prospects from lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen. Read previous installments here.

JoJo Romero, LHP, Philadelphia (Profile)
Level: Low-A   Age: 20   Org Rank: 29   Top 100: NR
Line: 8 IP, 3 BB, 1 H, 8 K

Notes
Drafted out of Yavapai JC (the same school from which Philadelphia drafted Ken Giles) in last year’s fourth round, Romero was a short but athletic lefty with a fringey but late-wiggling fastball and potential plus changeup. He has had command issues and was homer-prone at Yavapai (whose home field is laughably small) which, due to a lack of fastball plane, some scouts thought might carry into pro ball. But Romero’s once below average breaking ball has improved and he’s locating it down and to his glove side with consistency, back-footing it against righties and garnering swings and misses down and away from lefties. He still has a back end starter’s ceiling but now that Romero has added another weapon with which to attack right-handed hitters, it’s a bit easier to see. Below is a clipping of the swings and misses Romero induced from a loaded Charleston lineup, which featured six prospects from our Yankees list, last week.

Zac Gallen, RHP, OF, St. Louis (Profile)
Level: Hi-A   Age: 21   Org Rank: 23   Top 100: NR
Line: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 9 K, 0 ER

Notes
Gallen has modest across-the-board stuff but quick-armed, deceptive and commands a bevy of average pitches to both sides of the plate. He has 45 K and 6 BB in 35 innings thus far and seems likely to taste Double-A at some point this year, and if he does the Cardinals will have already sent two 2016 draftees to the upper levels of the minors. Gallen projects as a #4/5 starter.

David Fletcher, SS Los Angeles (AL) (Profile)
Level: Double-A   Age: 22   Org Rank: 11   Top 100: NR
Line: 3-for-5, 2 2B
Notes
After missing the start of the season with shoulder soreness, Fletcher is off to a solid .263/.378/.316 start. He lacks enough power to play every day but he has solid bat-to-ball skills and plays an average shortstop. With a glut of viable shortstops on Anaheim’s 40-man, it’s unlikely Fletcher debuts this year but he should provide an in-house utility option next year as Cliff Pennington, Yunel Escobar and Danny Espinosa are are slated to hit free agency.

Lucius Fox, SS, Tampa Bay (Profile)
Level: Low-A   Age: 19   Org Rank: 8   Top 100: NR
Line: 3-for-5, 2B, BB, 2 SB
Notes
The talented but frustrating Fox was hitting .182 on April 24th but has begun to hit and is now up to a somewhat bizarre .275/.371/.297. Fox was promoted too aggressively last year, then lost reps to injury (he hid a foot issue from the Giants last year before he was traded and didn’t suit up for Tampa Bay after the deal) and has been slow to perform as a pro. But he’s a comfortably plus runner who has the range and hands to stick at short and viable swings from both the left and right sides. He desperately needs to get stronger and improve his timing at the plate but he has the frame to add weight which should help him punish the ball more and perhaps add a tick to his average arm which is fine for short but not ideal.

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Notes from the back fields
Padres lefty Ramon Ernesto Perez Favier, who signed out of Cuba for $400k in December, was 86-90 with some sink yesterday. He doesn’t turn 18 until July but there’s not much room on the body so I don’t think the fastball has much projection. 19-year old Dominican righty Emmanuel Clase sat in the low-90s with some breaking ball feel. SS Justin Lopez, who signed for $1.2 million last July, has begun to grow into his body and start to take more authoritative swings from both sides of the plate. His swing has some natural loft from the left side and he could grow into significant power as his broad-shouldered frame fills out which will also like mean a move off of short despite excellent hands and arm strength.