Wes Roemer Interview

At just 6-foot-0, 200-pounds, Fullerton junior righthander Wes Roemer doesn’t look too imposing on the mound. But the Baseball America Pre-season First Team All-American maintains a fierce game face any time he’s on the diamond.

Roemer went 13-2 last season, maintaining a 0.86 WHIP while striking out 30.7% of the batters he faced and keeping the ball in the yard 98.1% of the time. Through 41.0 innings this season he has a 1.39 WHIP to go along with a 39.8% K rate.

We caught up with Roemer after his toughest start of the season (6.0 innings, 10 hits, 2 BB, 2 HR, and 5 K against East Carolina). He was still kind enough to talk to us about his amazing command, what he thinks is causing his struggles this season, and how professional ball clubs are finding a cure for Undersized Righthander Syndrome.

Adam Foster: You broke your pinky right before the start of the season. Is it back to 100% and has it been affecting you?

Wes Roemer: No, it hasn’t been affecting me. My pinky’s fine. Everything’s fine.

Foster: You’ve walked 27 batters in 286.0 college innings. What’s your secret?

Roemer: Just something that coach (Horton) prides on – jumping ahead, throwing strikes, getting the first strike in the at-bat, and using account leverage to do what you gotta do.

Foster: Can you describe your arsenal of pitches and what you think makes you so effective?

Roemer: Four pitch pitcher: fastball, curve, changeup, slider. I like to think that what makes me so effective is being able to throw all those for a strike at any time in the game. And if you can do that, then you can do a lot of stuff in the game.

Foster: It seems like hitters have been seeing you a little better this year than last year. What do you think has been the difference?

Roemer: I’m not sure. I don’t know if it’s they’re seeing me better or if it’s a change in my stuff. But I feel fine. I’m just going to have to turn it around for the second half of the year.

Foster: Roy Oswalt and Tim Lincecum are prime examples of how professional baseball has Undersized Righthander Syndrome. What’s your take on how righties under 6-foot-3 generally have to prove themselves more than lefties and gigantors?

Roemer: I don’t feel you have to prove yourself more as a righthanded pitcher. Stuff-wise, you use the same thing, I don’t know what the big deal is about being a lefty. But it’s just something that I think a lot of college pitchers have turned around. A lot of people have come in that were under 6-foot-4, 6-foot-3, that are only 6-foot-0, about my height and righthanders and they’re able to dominate up in the bigs.

Foster: So how does a guy who only walked seven batters last season manage to hit 23?

Roemer: A lot about pitching in…gettin’ guys off the plate ‘cause they start kind of creeping up on the plate if you throw a lot of breaking balls, which I do. And it kind of teeter-totters back to you can’t crowd the plate and assume off-speed.