Jamie Romak

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #11 prospect in 2009
  Romak began his career in the Braves organization and came to the Pirates before the 2007 season with Adam LaRoche in a deal for Mike Gonzalez and Brent Lillibridge. Romak missed the first month of the 2008 season recovering from offseason elbow surgery, but he progressed quickly enough when he returned that he was promoted to Double-A for the final month of the season. He's a three-true-outcomes player, as he hits his fair share of home runs, draws lots of walks and strikes out a ton. His power and patience stand out in a system that lacks hitters with those skills, though he has a tendency to be too passive at the plate, taking hittable pitches. Romak is below-average as a defender and runner. He started off as a third baseman with the Braves and had played primarily left field in recent years. He played solely first base for the first time in his career after moving up to Altoona. He'll return there to start the 2009 season but likely will see time in Triple-A later in the year. He projects as a potential middle-of-the-order hitter in the major leagues if he can find a way to make contact more consistently
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #7 prospect in 2008
  Romak had the lowest profile among the players in the January 2007 trade that brought him and Adam LaRoche from the Braves for Mike Gonzalez and shortstop prospect Brent Lillibridge. Despite missing three weeks with a bruised left hand after getting hit by a pitch, Romak increased his home run production for the fourth straight season. Romak has outstanding raw power and can hit the ball out of the park to all fields. He also has an exceptionally strong arm, which makes him a prototypical right fielder. He's willing to work counts and take a walk. Romak has holes in his swing and can be fooled by offspeed and breaking pitches off the plate. He's too passive at the plate at times and will take hittable pitches. Romak offers little speed or range. Though he's still rather raw, Romak is one of the few power-hitting prospects in the system. He'll spend 2008 in Double-A, and his ability to make adjustments when he doesn't get fastballs will tell the tale of his long-term chances in the majors.
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  Ranked Atlanta Braves #23 prospect in 2007
  Romak attracted comparisons to fellow Canadian Scott Thorman last season with his development as one of the more impressive power hitters in the system. Like Thorman, Romak has come along slowly since being drafted. He spent three seasons in Rookie ball before placing second behind Eric Campbell at Rome in doubles, homers and RBIs in 2006. Romak followed that performance by consistently hitting the ball harder than anyone in the Braves' instructional league camp during the fall. He has a couple of plus tools: the pop in his bat from right-center to the left-field foul pole, and a strong arm suited for right field. His ability to make consistent contact will determine just how high he's able to climb. He needs to shorten his swing and close some holes. Originally signed as a third baseman, Romak is a lumbering defender with below-average speed. His overall defensive game could use some polish. Scheduled to open 2007 in high Class A, he has a chance to become an average big league corner outfielder who hits in the bottom half of the order.