April 8th Honor Roll: Toru Murata and Jamie Romak
By Wally Fish
Toru Murta and Jamie Romak are both 27-years old and are not prospects. However, on Monday their performances topped all others in the minor leagues.
Romak saw some action at 1B in Spring Training for the Cardinals this year. (Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Pitcher of the Day: CLE – Toru Murata, Akron Aeros (AA): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO
Murata, a right-handed Japanese import signed with the Indians back in December of 2010. So far he’s logged 131.1 innings in Cleveland’s system with an impressive 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 133-32 SO-to-BB. Of course some level of dominance is to be expected since he’s more than three years older – and more experienced – than the batters he’s facing. The Tribe gave him two starts in Columbus last season and the results were far from encouraging (8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB and 5 SO in 7.2 IP), but Triple-A is where Murata should be pitching at this point.
Hitter of the Day: STL – Jamie Romak, Memphis Redbirds (AAA): 3-5, 3 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, SO
Atlanta drafted Romak in the 4th round of the 2003 draft and after 11 seasons in the minors he’s still looking to make his major league debut. The Ontario native has spent time with four organizations with a resume that includes stints with the Pirates and Royals sandwiched between the Braves and Cardinals. Romak is a career 0.250/.346/.444 hitter with his best season coming back in 2010 with the Royals. That year he hit 0.296/.388/.458 between Wilmington (A+) and Northwest Arkansas (AA). Even though he only hit 10 HR in 2012, he has three 20-HR seasons on his resume (2007, 2008 and 2011) proving that his three homer day on Monday is not a complete aberration.
Honorable Mentions from the Mound:
ARZ – Andrew Barbosa, Visalia Rawhide (A+): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 SO
ARZ – Cody Wheeler, South Bend Silver Hawks (A): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
BAL – Josh Hader, Delmarva Shorebirds (A): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
CWS – Matt Zaleski, Charlotte Knights (AAA): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO
MIL – Eulogio De La Cruz, Nashville Sounds (AAA): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
OAK – Arnold Leon, Midland Rockhounds (AA): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
TB – Jake Odorizzi, Durham Bulls (AAA): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO
TB – Jacob Thompson, Montgomery Biscuits (AA): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
Honorable Mentions from the Plate:
COL – Derek Jones, Asheville Tourists (A): 3-4, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, SO
CWS – Jim Gallagher, Charlotte Knights (AAA): 4-6, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 SO
HOU – Jesse Wierzbicki, Quad Cities River Bandits (A): 2-4, R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI
KC – Daniel Mateo, Wilmington Blue Rocks (A+): 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
PHI – Edgar Duran, Reading Fightin’ Phils (AA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB, BB, SO
SD – Tommy Medica, San Antonio Missions (AA): 2-3, R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, SO
SF – Jarrett Parker, Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
TEX – Chris McGuiness, Round Rock Express (AAA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI