Surgery gives swing back to Romak

By Andy Bitter

Published: May 3, 2008

Three years of pain and discomfort finally became too much for Jamie Romak in the Hawaiian Winter League last offseason.

The Pirates prospect made a throw on the second day and felt something pop. His elbow swelled up considerably and hindered his swing. He couldn’t bend his arm straight anymore. Bone spurs were the cause of the discomfort, the result of overgrowth after he fractured his elbow when he was 15.

“At that point, I kept playing and kept popping pills,” Romak said. “And I just realized that’s not the lifestyle I wanted to have, and if there’s a chance that someone can help me out, even if it requires surgery, that I’d take it.”

The outfielder had his elbow scoped by the renowned Dr. James Andrews in January to fix what had been a three-year problem, dating back to his time in the Atlanta organization.

Three and a half months later, the 22-year-old is back in Lynchburg, almost fully recovered and, for the first time in a while, pain free.

“It’s an amazing difference,” said Romak, a former fourth-round pick who is rated by Baseball America as Pittsburgh’s seventh-ranked prospect.

Injuries seem to be a never-ending problem with Romak, who was sent to the Pirates as part of the Adam LaRoche deal two years ago. He’s never had more than 363 at bats in any of his five minor league seasons.

Last year, he was hit by a pitch on the hand, requiring a DL stint, but it was the elbow that affected him the most. Without being able to extend his arm, he couldn’t cover the outer half of the plate.

“I’d have to step out of the box before every swing and remind myself, ‘Hey, don’t compensate. Just let it go,’” Romak said.

It worked for a while. He had a torrid June for the Hillcats after getting called up from Low-A Hickory (.333 average, four home runs, 10 RBIs and a 1.174 OPS) but watched his numbers dip the rest of the way. He batted .237 in July and August, striking out more than once every four at bats.

For North Shore in Hawaii, he batted .209 in 21 games, with two home runs and 12 RBIs.

“I was just getting burned (on the outer half of the plate),” Romak said. “I realized I had to do something, otherwise it was going to be a tough road for me.”

Romak’s return is perfect for Lynchburg, which was desperate for a power hitter to bat in the middle of the order. The Hillcats had 11 home runs through Friday, half that of league-leading Myrtle Beach.

While Romak has never hit much for average (he’s a career .242 hitter), he draws plenty of walks (64 in 363 at bats last year) and hits for power (20 home runs between Hickory and Lynchburg last season).

His goals heading into the season were to get 500 at bats and hit 30 home runs. With a monthlong setback, that’s unlikely now. But he’s not fretting.

“I’m not going to force my numbers to reflect a 500 at-bat season,” he said. “I’m just going to do my thing and not worry about it. It’s a cliché, but I’m just going to try to get better every day.”

Outfield shuffle

Romak’s return also gives the Hillcats another option for what has been a thin outfield pool. With Alex Presley (ankle) and James Barksdale (hamstring) both on the disabled list, Lynchburg has been forced to mix and match in the outfield.

Eddie Prasch, displaced at third by the red-hot Jim Negrych, has filled in admirably in right field, playing there for the first time in his career. Albert Laboy shifted from right to center, a position he’s played sparingly during his career. Even utility man Tony Mansolino has played some outfield.

Prasch’s time has been the most adventurous. He had never played outfield during his minor league career before two weeks ago. He has two errors in 10 games in right field and sometimes takes rather circuitous routes to fly balls, but he has acquitted himself well, considering the circumstances.

“He’s doing an adequate job,” Hillcats manager Jeff Branson said. “That’s the reason we put him out there, because he’s athletic enough to play there.”

He’s hitting too well to take out of the lineup, even with Romak back in the mix. In 20 games, the former third-round pick is batting .313 with 11 RBIs. Entering Saturday, he had a team-best 10-game hitting streak.