JAMIE ROMAK

9/30/85; '03 4th (Atlanta); London, Ontario (HS)
R/R; 6-1, 220

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2003 R (Atl)	.176	.300	.216	51	2	0	0	9	10	0	0
2004 R+ (Atl)	.190	.287	.329	158	5	1	5	14	56	1	1
2005 R+ (Atl)	.274	.368	.540	124	10	1	7	14	38	2	1
2006 A (Atl)	.247	.369	.471	348	26	2	16	59	102	3	1
2007 A+	.252	.380	.483	294	21	1	15	55	90	2	2
2007 A	.275	.393	.551	69	4	0	5	9	24	0	2
2008 AA	.208	.312	.433	120	6	0	7	17	32	0	0
2008 A+	.279	.360	.552	290	25	0	18	32	95	0	1
2009 AA	.175	.243	.303	211	12	0	5	18	66	1	0
2009 A+	.213	.294	.325	160	9	0	3	14	44	0	2

The Pirates acquired Romak with Adam LaRoche, for Mike Gonzalez and Brent Lillibridge. Romak was a risky prospect with power potential, something almost entirely missing from the Pirates' system. In fact, he was a very uncharacteristic player for the Pirates under Dave Littlefield, as they focused mainly on hitters who hit for average but didn't walk or have much power. Romak is very much a three true outcomes type of hitter, with low averages but good OBPs and power. He had trouble getting out of rookie ball, but had a solid season in the SAL in 2006. He was still only 20, which is a good age for the level. He finished the season strongly, hitting 10 HRs in July and August after hitting only five and struggling badly the first three months. The Braves' SAL affiliate, Rome, plays in a pitcher's park that's terrible for HRs, but Romak posted a .915 OPS with 10 HRs there, compared to .769 and 6 on the road. He played 3B in school, but moved to LF as a pro due to a lack of range. He doesn't run well or have much range in the OF either, but he has a good arm. He's played mostly RF since the trade.

The Pirates chose to send him back to low A to start the 2007 season. This may have reflected their (hopefully former) organizational bias, as they tended to be frightened by hitters who struck out and didn't hit for average. Romak, however, earned a promotion with a good start. At Lynchburg he performed very much like he did in low A in 2006, drawing a great many walks and hitting for good, but not outstanding, power, while fanning in almost a third of his ABs. Although he was eligible for the Rule 5 draft, the Pirates did not add him to their 40-man roster and he was not selected. They sent him back to Lynchburg to open 2008 due to their continuing concerns about strikeouts, concerns that weren't helped when he struggled to make contact in the Hawaii Winter League.

Romak missed the start of 2008 due to elbow surgery. After he returned he said he hadn't been able to swing properly the previous season due to the problems with the elbow. There may have been something to it, because his hitting improved significantly. His BA improved and, although he did not cut his strikeout rate while at Lynchburg, he hit enough HRs that he fell only three short of tying for the league lead despite playing barely over half the season there. The Pirates promoted him near the end of July. He went hitless in his first three AA games but improved after that, even cutting his K rate. Shortly before the promotion the Pirates moved Romak to 1B, a move that may have been spurred as much by the crowded outfield situation at Altoona as by Romak's shaky defense in the outfield.

Romak's approach at the plate is very similar to fellow Canadian Jason Bay's, as he often goes deep into counts by taking pitches and looking for one he can drive, but this sometimes leads to him getting into bad counts. Like a lot of hitters of his type, he tends sometimes to disappear offensively for days at a time. Romak also seems to be prone to minor injuries, as he had several that cost him time in 2007. In a mild surprise, the Pirates again left Romak off the 40-man roster, probably due in part to their dissatisfaction with his ability to make contact and in part to a calculation that he was unlikely to get selected. Whatever the reason, he again wasn't selected and returned to Altoona in 2009 as the starting firstbaseman. This time he simply fell off a cliff, hitting dismally in all areas. He even stopped drawing walks. He struggled defensively as well, as he hasn't adapted well to first. He doesn't handle throws or move around the bag well. When the Pirates promoted Pedro Alvarez and Miles Durham, they sent Romak down to Lynchburg. That probably showed a significant amount of frustration, as the new regime doesn't seem much inclined to demote struggling players. The demotion didn't help, as Romak struggled at Lynchburg, too. He also missed some time with injuries. Romak became a minor league free agent after the season, so he's not likely to return.

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