Diamondbacks Moves: Hessler, Romak Called Up

By Guillermo Salcido |

Now comes the aftermath of the Diamondbacks trades in the past few days. After trading Oliver Perez to Houston and Cliff Pennington to Toronto, there were a couple of spots to fill in the Arizona roster. Infielder Jamie Romak and left handed pitcher Keith Hessler were called up to accommodate the void. An opportunity presents itself to a couple of ball players to make a significant impact and maintain a job in the majors.

Romak is a 29-year old minor league veteran. After having been drafted in the 4th round of the 2003 MLB Draft, Romak didn’t make his MLB debut until more than a decade later. It didn’t last long, because it wasn’t pretty. In 2014 with the Dodgers, Romak went 1-for-21 (.048) with 3 RBI. He struck out on 8 occasions.

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In Reno (AAA) this season, Romak has absolutely dominated. He hit .289 with 22 homeruns and 87 RBI. Romak led the Aces in homeruns and RBI at the time of his call up. He was started in Pacific Coast League All Star game at third base and collected various Player of the Week honors. At most, it appears that Romak is your prototypical AAAA player.

Jun 8, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Jamie Romak (35) heads home to score off a single by shortstop Miguel Rojas (72) (not pictured) in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Hessler, 26, is making his first appearance on a major league roster. He was drafted by Arizona in the 28th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. The Coastal Carolina product has been all over the organization in 2015, making stops in Visalia (A), Mobile (AA), and Reno (AAA).

In Visalia, Hessler pitched 14.2 scoreless innings with 20 strikeouts. In Mobile, Hessler only surrendered a couple of runs in 25.1 innings, while striking out 32 hitters. In Reno, Hessler was roughed up a little bit. He registered a 5.27 ERA and accumulated more innings than strikeouts. His call up provides the bullpen with another left handed presence.

Since their call up, both have made their 2015 (Romak) and MLB (Hessler) debuts. Hessler pitched a scoreless inning, while striking out a couple of hitters. Romak struck out in a pinch hitting situation. Both appearances took place last night against the Reds. Look for the two to do everything they can to stay with the Diamondbacks.

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