Willie Romero

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Willie Romero
Leones de Yucatán
Pitcher / Coach
Born: (1974-08-05) August 5, 1974 (age 51)
Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Wilfredo Romero (born August 5, 1974) is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach and former pitcher. He currently serves as the bench coach for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League.[1] He has also managed extensively in Mexico and Venezuela.

Playing career

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Romero played several season of minor league baseball, mainly in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, as well as in the Mexican League (LMB).[2] With Saraperos de Saltillo, he won the Mexican League batting title in 2002, posting a .387 batting average.[3] He also played 20 winter league seasons in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) between 1992 and 2012, with Leones del Caracas, Navegantes del Magallanes, Tigres de Aragua, Tiburones de La Guaira, and Águilas del Zulia.[4]

Coaching career

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After a stint as a player-manager in the Mexican League with the Leones de Yucatán in 2012, Romero turned to coaching full-time with the Acereros de Monclova (2013).[5] He returned to Yucatan in 2015 as manager, remaining there until he was fired in 2017 after an altercation with a fan in the stands.[6][1] He later managed in the Mexican League for the Pericos de Puebla in 2023 and the Olmecas de Tabasco in 2025.[7][8] In 2024, he managed the Tri-City Dust Devils, the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels.[9] After being fired from Olmecas partway through the 2025 season, he rejoined Yucatán's coaching staff.[1] On July 29, 2025, Romero was promoted to the role of bench coach; the move was made after Oswaldo Morejón was fired and Eliézer Alfonzo was promoted to manager.[10]

As manager of Navegantes del Magallanes in the 2021–22 season, he led the team, which lacked any players signed to Major League Baseball contracts, to a LVBP championship after defeating Caribes de Anzoátegui in seven games. However, he did not return the following year after being unable to agree on a contract, and was replaced by Yadier Molina.[11]

Romero has earned five separate Manager of the Year honors in three different leagues: in 2015 and 2016 in the Mexican League, in 2017 in the Mexican Pacific League, and in 2022 and 2023 in Venezuela. With Aragua in 2023, he became the third manager to win the distinction in consecutive seasons, (along with Luis Dorante and Alfredo Pedrique) and the first to do so with different teams.[12]

On July 1, 2025, Romero was named manager of the Tucson Baseball Club, the first American-based team to compete in the Mexican Pacific League.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Willie Romero regresa a los Leones de Yucatán como coach de banca". 24 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Willie Romero". Baseball Reference (minors).
  3. ^ "Pericos: Willie Romero, nuevo manager de los poblanos". MiLB.com (in Spanish). 14 December 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Wilfredo Romero designado mánager del Magallanes". LVBP.com. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Willie Romero, nuevo manager de Acereros". MiLB.com. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Willie Romero, nuevo manager de Leones". MiLB.com. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Willie Romero deja el cargo como manager de Pericos de Puebla". La Aficion. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Wilfredo Romero es despedido en México". El Fildeo. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Tri-City Dust Devils gunning for strong start to 2024 season". NBC Right Now. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  10. ^ "LMB: Movimientos en listas de reserva - 29 de julio de 2025". lmb.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  11. ^ "Mientras Magallanes se hundía en Venezuela, Wilfredo Romero conquistaba la punta en Puerto Rico". El Emergente. 1 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Wilfredo Romero revalidó el premio a Mánager del Año". La Verdad. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  13. ^ "LMP: Wilfredo Romero hará historia como manager en la Liga ARCO". Meridiano. 20 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Wilfredo Romero dirigirá a Tucson en la Liga Mexicana del Pacífico y deja sin coach de bateo a las Águilas del Zulia". El Emergente. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
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