Albers, Romak CBN's best after lengthy seasons

London Badgers grad Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) celebrates while a teammate raises his arms in awe.

December 17, 2020

By Todd Devlin

Canadian Baseball Network

Jamie Romak says his mandatory two-week quarantine was a blessing.

When the 35-year-old returned from South Korea last month, after finishing his fourth season with SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Romak was finally reunited with his family – for the first time in a long nine months.

That hadn’t been the plan. When Romak boarded a flight last January, his family was expected to join him in the spring. Then COVID-19 happened.

“The situation kept evolving in terms of what it would take to get them over there,” Romak said recently from his London, Ont. home. “We submitted the documents to get our newborn a passport, but then they shut down government services here.”

It took months to receive that passport – and then more time to obtain travel visas. The process dragged on. Then, most importantly, the couple’s doctor advised against their infant traveling. The decision was final – Romak’s wife, Kristin, their three-year-old son, Nash, and little Pierce would stay in Ontario.

On the field, the 35-year-old first baseman managed to play perhaps the best baseball of his pro career. In 139 games for SK Wyverns, Romak batted .282 with 32 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .399 on base percentage – numbers so good that he was named winner, in early December, of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award, given annually to Canada’s top player.

LHP Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.)

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Also Romak won Canadian Baseball Network’s 13th annual Independent/Foreign League Offensive Player Of The Year honour for a fourth straight year. Romak was a fourth-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in the 2003 MLB draft from the London Badgers. Lonnie Goldberg, now the Kansas City Royals scouting director selected Romak.

The Canadian Baseball Network’s Independent/Foreign League Pitcher Of The Year is LHP Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.), of the Orix Buffaloes in Japan, for the second time in three seasons. He was 5-8 with a 3.66 ERA in 17 games. Albers was the top affiliated arm in 2013. Albers was on a similar type program … spending 10 months in Japan.

Due to the COVID-19 virus all minor league play was cancelled, so there were not any award winners for affiliated teams. There were 11 Canadians playing in foreign lands and eight playing in independent ball due to the border being closed.

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“It was really tough,” said Romak, who spent the season living alone in a three-bedroom apartment in Incheon, a city in northwestern South Korea. “Back home, everything fell completely on my wife … the kid knocks his head and he’s at the hospital, the baby’s teething and not sleeping. It’s an awful feeling as a husband, being a world away and not being able to support the situation.”

It wore on Romak. But the game provided an escape.

In winning the Tip O’Neill award, Romak beat out the many Canadians in the majors, including seven-time winner Joey Votto, outfielder Tyler O’Neill, and the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero as well as Jordan Romano and Rowan Wick.

“It’s an absolute honour … to have my name engraved beside so many great players – many of whom I grew up idolizing,” Romak said. “I’m thinking of my family, friends and all the coaches along the way that have supported and encouraged me over the years. I’m humbled and grateful.”

It’s extremely rare for a non-major leaguer to win the Tip O’Neill award (Mike Soroka won it last year, while other past winners include James Paxton, Justin Morneau, John Axford and Russell Martin). But while it was a surprise to many, the numbers don’t lie. Romak, who spent parts of 13 seasons in the affiliated minor leagues, including stints in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2014) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2015), led all Canadians in the professional ranks this year in a number of offensive categories, including runs scored (85), doubles (32), walks (91), slugging percentage (.546) and OPS (.945).

“I honestly thought this year was my best,” said Romak, who has also competed for Team Canada several times, including winning the country’s first Pan-Am Games gold medal in 2011. “I’d also say I was most proud of this year. It was way harder than any other year, both with my personal life, being away from my family, and the fact that our team had so many injuries, so we had no protection in the middle of the lineup.

“When you peel back into the secondary numbers … the quality of my contact, barrelled ball percentages, walk rates … essentially, quality plate appearances … All those things I felt really good about this year. I think I continued to improve.”

He did so under gruelling circumstances. Despite the start of the year being pushed back (a number of times), the KBO played a full season – from May 5 through November. The league eliminated the All-Star break, played doubleheaders to make up rain outs, and even played on Mondays, regular off-days to make up the time.

“It was a war this year,” said Romak, whose KBO league was the talk of the baseball world when it resumed play well before Major League Baseball returned. “I reported to camp at the end of January, and I didn’t get home until November, so it was eight, nine months of straight through.”

It was also a grind off the field for Romak in 2020. Without his family, and the ability to recharge away from the ballpark, the slugger says it was hard to escape the expectations and the pressure that foreign players face to constantly perform. He says it led to some real loneliness.

“I suffered some severe homesickness this year, for sure. I got to come home for a week when our baby was born, but that was it. Then you have to leave. It was certainly really tough psychologically … not a lot of fun.”

Romak tried to keep himself busy, and he tapped into the expat community in his neighbourhood to maintain social connections. He says he also benefited from the support of his teammates and coaching staff.

“They’ve really treated me well,” said Romak, who is now the longest-tenured foreign player in Wyverns history. “The GM said to me recently, ‘You’re not a foreign player to us. You’re one of us.’ That meant a lot. I’m definitely part of the team. I’ve made a lot of effort to learn the culture and learn the language too. They appreciate that, and they’ve been really good to me in return.”

Following the season, Romak signed another one-year contract, worth $1.15 million, to spend a fifth year with the Wyverns. And he’s eager to build off a strong 2020 season.

“I feel like I still have another level to my game,” he said. “I’m still really curious about baseball, about hitting and everything that goes into it. I think there’s still more in there, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep playing and continue to push myself as much as I can.”

Romak is also grateful that he’ll get to experience life in South Korea with his family by his side once again. He’ll travel to South Korea in mid-January and quarantine for two weeks before spring training. The plan is for his family to be there from April through August.

“There’s nothing better than getting to do what you love and having your family there with you,” Romak said. “I’m very excited about getting them back over there and having my boys at the field with me.”

In the meantime, he’s been soaking up all the family time he can get in Ontario.

“It’s been great being home,” he said. “We’ve spent so much quality time together and had a lot of fun. It’s been a blast.”

Honour Roll

Affiliated Players

Offensive Player Of The Year

(Starting in 2011 the award was named after the The Honourable Mr. Justice Randall Echlin, former head of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame selection committee, a lifelong fan of the game and a man with a baseball-shaped heart the size of a box of new Rawlings.)

2008 _ Tim Smith (Toronto, Ont.) Rangers.

2009 _ Tyson Gillies (Langley, BC) Mariners.

2010 _ Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) Brewers.

2011 _ Taylor Green (Comox, BC) Brewers and Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) Jays.

2012 _ Oscar Taveras (Montreal, Que.) Cardinals.

2013 _ Sean Jamieson (Simcoe, Ont.) Diamondbacks.

2014 _ Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) Blue Jays.

2015 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners.

2016 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners.

2017 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners/Cardinals and Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) Blue Jays.

2018 _ Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) Blue Jays.

2019 _ Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) Astros.

2020 _ Minor league seasons cancelled, virus.

Pitcher Of The Year

2008 _ Scott Diamond (Guelph, Ont.) Braves.

2009 _ James Henderson (Calgary, Alta.) Brewers and John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) Brewers.

2010 _ Scott Mathieson (Langley, BC) Phillies.

2011 _ Mark Hardy (Campbell River, BC) Padres..

2012 _ James Henderson (Calgary, Alta.) Brewers.

2013 _ Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) Twins

2014 _ Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) Nationals.

2015 _ Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) Phillies and Shane Dawson (Drayton Valley, Alta.) Jays.

2016 _ Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, Tex.) Pirates and Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) Phillies.

2017 _ Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Braves.

2018 _ Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) Jays.

2019 _ Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) Twins.

2020 _ Minor league seasons cancelled, virus.

Affliated award winners

By organization: Blue Jays 6, Brewers 5, Mariners 4, Phillies 3, Braves 2, Twins 2, Astros, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Padres, Pirates, Rangers, Nationals one each.

By provinces: BC 12, Ontario 7, Alberta 4, Quebec 4 and Saskatchewan one.

Independent/Foreign Leagues

Top Offensive Player Of The Year

2008 — Drew Miller (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.

2009 — Pete LaForest (Hull, Que.) Quebec Capitales and Colin Moro (Calgary, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.

2010 - Drew Miller (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.

2011 – Matt Rogelstad (Port Moody, BC) Edmonton Capitals.

2012 – Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, Ont.) Quebec Capitales.

2013 – Jonathan Malo (Laval, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2014 - Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, Ont.) Quebec Capitales.

2015 - Jim Adduci (Burnaby, BC) Lotte Giants, Korea.

2016 - Carter Bell, (Courtenay, BC) Joliet Slammers.

2017 - Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns/triple-A El Paso.

2018 _ Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns, Korea

2019 _ Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns, Korea

2020 _ Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns, Korea

Pitcher Of The Year

2008 — Michel Simard (Charlesbourg, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2009 — Aaron Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.) New Jersey Jackals.

2010 – Aaron Cotter (Kitimat, BC) Sioux Falls Pheasants.

2011 – John Mariotti (Toronto, Ont.) Quebec Capitales

2012 – Jeff Duda (Surrey, BC) Quebec Capitales.

2013 – Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2014 – Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2015 – Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2016 – Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2017 - Scott Mathieson (Aldergrove, BC) Yomiuri Giants.

2018 _ Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.). Orix Buffaloes

2019 _ Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) Ottawa Champions.

2020 _ Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.). Orix Buffaloes

Indy foreign lands winners from

Provinces: Quebec 9, BC 6, Alberta 2, Ontario 2, Saskatchewan 2.