After a rough 2025, Jordan Romano suddenly looks like himself again

That is a big shift from where Romano stood 1 year ago. In 2025 with Philadelphia, he posted an 8.23 ERA in 49 appearances and never looked settled for long.

The Angels still saw enough to take the shot. They signed Romano to a 1-year, $2 million deal in December, betting that a low-cost bullpen arm with closer history was worth the gamble.

So far, that bet looks sharp. Romano opened 2026 with 2 scoreless outings against Houston, picked up a save, allowed no hits, and struck out 3 in 2.0 innings.

The stat line is small, and that part matters. But the eye test matters too, because Romano's fastball is not moving like the one hitters saw during that rough Phillies run.

The biggest change is the 4-seamer. The pitch is averaging 95.5 mph this year, down a tick from 2025, but the shape looks cleaner with more ride and less arm-side sweep.

In the clip, the heater jumps over barrels at the top of the zone instead of leaking back into damage areas, and that is exactly why the pitch looks alive again.

The numbers in that breakdown tell the story better than the radar gun alone. Romano's 4-seam profile shifted from 96 mph, 18 inches of induced vertical break, and 7 inches of horizontal break in 2025 to 95 mph, 20 iVB, and 2 HB in 2026. That is a much straighter, riding fastball look.

That matters because Romano has always worked best when the fastball carries through the top of the zone and sets up the slider underneath it. On Statcast, his 2026 mix is 63% sliders and 37% 4-seamers, which makes the heater shape even more important.

There is fair caution here. This is still an early sample built from only 25 pitches, and 2 of those outings came in Houston, where pitch movement can look a little different.

But the point is not that Romano is suddenly perfect. The point is that the pitch traits look healthier, the results are cleaner, and the version the Angels signed already looks a lot more like the old closer than the one Philadelphia could not trust.

That is why this start to 2026 stands out. Last season looked like a pitcher losing his release, his shape, and his margin. Right now, Jordan Romano looks like a reliever who has found all 3 again.