Romak ready for an encore

Jamie Romak, named top player by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame this year, is back in South Korea prepping for a big season with SK Wyverns.

Jamie Romak is back for a fifth season of pro ball in South Korea. (Photo courtesy SK Wyverns)

When Jamie Romak touched down in South Korea in mid-January, ready to embark on his fifth season of professional baseball in the country, he did so with a new honour under his belt – and a bounce in his step, knowing that this time his family will be joining him in the spring.

That wasn’t the case last year. Due to COVID-19, Romak’s wife and two kids remained in Canada while he played his fourth season with SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). With the family separated for a long nine months, it made for a difficult season off the field for the Londoner.

But he managed to excel on it.

In fact, Romak’s stellar season, during which he hit 32 home runs with 91 RBIs, a .399 on-base percentage and a .946 OPS (on-base plus slugging), was perhaps the best of his pro career. It earned him the Tip O’Neill Award, given annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to the country’s top player (he beat out several major leaguers, including Joey Votto, a seven-time award winner, Tyler O’Neill and Vladimir Guerrero).

This year, Romak is looking forward to having his family there by his side.

“There’s nothing better than getting to do what you love and having your family there with you,” said Romak, who has begun spring training after a mandatory two-week quarantine. “I’m very excited about getting them back over there and having my boys at the field with me.”

The plan is for Romak’s wife, Kristin, and their two young sons, Nash and Pierce, who will be four and one, to travel to South Korea in early April, around the time the 2021 KBO season begins (April 3).

The 10-team KBO league is planning for a full season in 2021 (144 games for each club) and to start on time. Last year, the novel coronavirus pushed the start of the season back to May 5.

Romak, one of three foreign players on SK Wyverns, hit 32 home runs with a .399 on-base percentage last year. (Photo courtesy SK Wyverns)

Romak and the Incheon-based SK Wyverns have their sights set on some major improvements this season after a disappointing 2020 that saw the team left out of the playoffs after an injury-filled year. Coaching changes have been made, and two new foreign pitchers have been added (Wilmer Font, a former Toronto Blue Jay, and Artie Lewicki, a former big leaguer who pitched well in the high minors for the Detroit Tigers). 

“If our lineup is healthy again … and if our two new foreign pitchers do well, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t instantly jump back into the top half [of the standings],” said Romak, who is now the longest-tenured foreign player in Wyverns franchise history. “That’s the expectation, for sure. All eyes will be set on top four. The first three years I was there, we were quite strong. Last year was just really tough.”

Fresh off elbow surgery, which he had cleaned up following the season last year, Romak may move around a bit more this season, as he’s done for much of his career, playing some third base and in the outfield rather than being anchored at first base. Regardless, he’ll hit in the middle of the lineup and once again be a power threat. Besides returning to the playoffs and getting back into contention, Romak says, he has some personal goals in mind.

“The 30 home-run mark is always the big figure, but I’d like to get up to 35 again and certainly 100 RBIs,” the Londoner said. “I think if you're in the middle of a lineup and your team is in [contention], that’s a good reflection on what you’re doing. I try to look at it from that point of view as much as I can.”

At 35, Romak is still going strong. He’s been at this for 18 years now, first entering pro ball as a 17-year-old fresh out of A.B. Lucas Secondary School. The former London Badger spent 13 seasons in the affiliated minor leagues and lived out his childhood dream of playing in the major leagues – first in 2014 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and again in 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

🇨🇦 #SKWyverns Jamie Romak got his 30th HR of the year with this blast! Romak now has 133 HRs in 4 seasons in #KBO. pic.twitter.com/IuGFbRFqvF

— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) October 15, 2020

Since then, he had a stop in Japan and has now enjoyed four highly successful seasons in South Korea, including his award-winning campaign in 2020. His 32 home runs tied for sixth-most in the KBO last year, while he had the seventh-best slugging percentage (.546) and eighth-best OPS.

“I honestly thought [last year] was my best,” said Romak, who has also competed for Team Canada several times, including winning a Pan-Am Games gold medal in 2011. “I’d also say I was most proud of [last] year. It was way harder than any other year … being away from my family, and the fact that our team had so many injuries. I think I continued to improve.”

SK Wyverns rewarded his success last year by offering him another one-year contract, this time for $1.1 million. Romak spent the offseason staying in shape, including playing tennis at Greenhills Golf Club with friends and fellow former pro ballplayers Adam Stern and Brock Kjeldgaard, who coach within the Great Lake Canadians baseball program and at Centrefield Sports.

His offseason training has evolved as he’s gotten older.

“Less weights, for sure, and more functional activities, Romak said. “I do more running, more moving around, more stability [exercises] … making sure the joints are in good shape and that I’m flexible.”

Now, back in South Korea, he’s primed for an encore to his big season from a year ago. And his passion for the game is as great as ever.

“I feel like I still have another level to my game,” Romak 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.”