It has been a
while since I’ve had an interview up for you all. Don’t worry, I
haven’t been slacking. I have a slew of interviews in the works. Here’s
the first.
LHP/OF Josh Romanski took the time to answer a few
questions for Bernie's Crew. If you do not remember, Josh was drafted
in the fourth-round in the 2008 draft by Milwaukee. He was great about
the whole process, very polite. I look forward to seeing how he fares
in Helena, as Josh was a pleasure to work with.
Bernie's Crew: Congratulations on getting
drafted by the Brewers! I suppose I must start with the obligatory
question here. I know you have been drafted once before, but not nearly
this high. How did it feel to be drafted on the first day?
Josh Romanski: It felt great. the best
part about it was being drafted by an organization with such a sterling
reputation for developing young talent. I am thoroughly excited and
optimistic about my opportunity to make it to the major leagues with
the brewers.
BC: Did you know that Milwaukee was interested in you? Where there any other teams?
J. Romanski: Yes and Yes. Pretty much all of the teams
showed some kind of interest but Milwaukee was definitely one of the
more interested organizations, obviously. But I know the so cal area
scout very well and he was very good in communicating the Brewers
interest with me.
BC: Coming out of the draft, Brewers fans were
unsure whether Milwaukee had drafted you as a pitcher or an outfielder.
You have been playing a lot of DH thus far in Helena. Does that mean
you won’t be seeing the mound as a professional?
J. Romanski: No it doesnt. The Brewers drafted me
as a pitcher and that is what I’ll be looking to do in the future. I
only dh’d because we had three hurt outfielders. Good thing is I can
hit a little and you never know what the club needs. I’m just glad I
was able to step in and get the job done.
BC: Could you tell the readers at BrewersNation a little about your pitching arsenal? What do you throw?
J. Romanski: Well, I throw a five pitch combo
starting with a fastball. I throw three different breaking balls which
include a curveball, a slider, and a cutter. Then I have a change up
which I consider my best pitch. I am highly confident in all these
pitches but also I am working on developing a sharper curveball so I can
be more affective at the higher levels.
BC: What’s your game like in the outfield? What are your strengths an weaknesses?
J. Romanski: In the outfield I’d like to say that
I’m an “all out” kind of guy. I rely on my reads and jumps I get on the
ball rather than just plain pure speed. I have an average plus throwing
arm and my number one strength is instinct. My weakness in the outfield
is that I am not the fastest runner. I am not slow and still
slightly above the big league average but I am not a burner by any
means so I have to make up for that with my reads on the ball.
BC: You threw a no-hitter against Harvard this
season. What was that like? Did you know you had great stuff that day
from the beginning?
J. Romanski: The no-hitter was pretty interesting
actually. I was hurt and did not have my best stuff at all. However, I
spotted my fastball extremely well on the inner half of the plate that
day and before I knew it I looked up at the scoreboard in the 7th
inning and realized what was going on. It was a special day for me and
the program.
BC: Naturally, you must be extremely excited to
play professional ball for any team. Where there any particular team
that you wished to play for? Is there anything specific about the
Brewers organization that excites you?
J. Romanski: Like I had said earlier, the Brewers have a
great reputation for developing their young talent. I am excited about
the coaching and winter programs that the Brewers have to offer and I
am looking forward to bettering myself this season into the off-season.
BC: How has your first couple weeks of being a professional been? What is the first thing you did when arriving to the team?
J. Romanski: The first couple weeks in Pro ball have been
great. I’ve been hurt so that is a bit of downer but other than that I
have enjoyed it. The guys are great and so are the coaches and staff.
I’m living out a childhood dream and that is what makes it so neat.
BC: You got a nice signing bonus to play in Milwaukee’s farm system. Do you have any plans for that money?
J. Romanski: No plans with the money yet since I haven’t
recieved it. Ha Ha. But I plan on giving to the cancer foundation since
my mom is a three time *** cancer survivor. That is important to me
and I will look to make that donation sooner than later.
BC: What is your goal for the 2008 season?
Obviously your goal is to make the big leagues one day, but what is
your goal for this year?
J. Romanski: My main goal for 2008 is to get healthy. This
year in college playing center field and pitching hurt all season took
its toll on my body. I would to get healthy and get back to my peak
performance level as soon as possible.