RealGM

Ricky Romero is set to embark on just his fourth season in the big leagues, but he already has become the veteran leader of the Blue Jays' pitching staff.

Romero is coming off his first season as Toronto's ace, and his freshly anointed status coincided with another steady year of improvement en route to becoming one of the American League's best pitchers.

There might be more notoriety and pressure associated with being labeled as the ace of a big league pitching staff, but it's something that Romero appears to thrive on.

"I think it's a label that gets put on you, and I take full responsibility and I take it with everything I've got," Romero said recently. "You're viewed as a leader and making sure the staff goes in the right direction. They build off of you, so you go out there and just continue to work hard."

Romero was the lone Blue Jays starter from the Opening Day roster in 2011 to take a noticeable step forward in his overall development. The East Los Angeles native led Toronto's staff with a 15-11 record and a 2.92 ERA while earning his first All-Star selection.

Romero appeared in 15 more innings in 2011 compared to the year before, yet he surrendered 13 fewer hits and 14 fewer earned runs, while walking two less and striking out four more. It was an overall improvement for a promising left-hander who already appeared to be on the right track, and he'll be expected to produce just as much, if not more, this season.

The 27-year-old Romero has enjoyed relatively smooth sailing during the early stages of his career. He is 42-29 with a 3.60 ERA in 613 big league innings, but his Minor League career didn't exactly follow a linear path.