from official site:
06/13/2003 9:58 PM ET
Notes: Saturday the 14th for Jason
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com
ARLINGTON -- When the Mets drafted Jason Roach in the 20th round in 1997, the UNC-Wilmington product had a promising career as a pitcher. In fact, several teams that scouted him planned on using him in that role.
Roach's bat, though, had some pop. He could hit the long ball and the Mets figured he deserved a shot at third base so that's where they put him. Roach didn't disappoint, either, blasting 39 homers in his first three minor league seasons. While he didn't disappoint in the power numbers, his anemic batting average was disappointing.
The youngster's batting average was hovering just over the Mendoza Line when the Mets decided it was time to change things up. So, after watching Roach perform mop-up duty in a couple of blowouts while he was with Class-A St. Lucie, the New York brass decided to get him back on the mound full time.
That was in 1999. After going back to Pittsfield of the New York-Penn League to start over as a pitcher, Roach began a journey that took him to countless minor league cities, on endless bus rides and to places as far away from Anaheim as he could have ever imagined. Traveling that road, however, proved to be well worth it for the North Carolina native.
Roach, 27, will make his Major League debut Saturday night for the Mets, pitching against the defending World Champion Angels. With Tom Glavine missing a start because of elbow problems, New York needed a starter with Roach getting the surprising call.
"This is great," said Roach, who was 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA this season for the Tides. "This is a good opportunity for me to prove I can pitch and see what I can do.
"I was surprised because I really wasn't paying attention to it. A few weeks ago when Mike [Bacsik] and Jeremy [Griffiths] got called up, I was watching it more then."
Roach got the call over former No. 1 draft pick Aaron Heilman, who has also been effective this season at Norfolk. Interim general manager Jim Duquette and manager Art Howe felt that Roach's control and ability to pitch to certain spots was better at this point than Heilman's, a factor that could prove crucial against a patient Anaheim team. He throws four pitches -- fastball, change, curveball and cutter -- with success.
"Aaron will get his chance," said Roach, who will wear No. 57. "He could be here next week for all I know. He's a class act. He's ready. When he gets here, he'll show you what he can do."
While it's only natural that Roach would be nervous, the fact that there are so many of his former Norfolk teammates with the Mets should make his transition easier. Jason Phillips, one of his best friends, has been with the parent club several times this year and should be here for the rest of the year. Phillips' wife, Kelly, picked up Roach and his wife, Tara, at the airport in Orange County Friday.
"I heard he moonwalked out of the clubhouse in Norfolk," Phillips laughed. "We were together back in the Florida State League. He was one of the first guys I met in pro ball. He's a very calm person. There's not a lot of emotion there. He's real quiet."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
A Pitcher Who Had Field Days
David Lennon, Newsday
June 14, 2003
Anaheim, Calif. - Ty Wigginton remembers playing in the minors with Saturday's starting pitcher, Jason Roach. He described Roach as a good third baseman with decent power, as well as a great closer. The two were teammates at Class A St. Lucie, and whenever those Mets didn't want to waste a relief pitcher, Roach would move over from third to finish up.
"We'd be getting blown out in a game and need someone to pitch," Wigginton recalled. "Then Roach would come in and strike out the side."
Roach's four-pitch repertoire of fastball, curve, changeup and slider may have surprised his Florida State League foes, especially coming from a third baseman. His pitching talent, however, was no secret. Roach was primarily a pitcher for UNC-Wilmington, but when the Mets selected him in the 20th round of the 1997 amateur draft, the organization had other ideas.
"Most teams wanted me as a pitcher," Roach said. "But the Mets said they liked my power."
Roach hit 33 home runs over his last two minor-league seasons, a total of 213 games. But with his batting average sinking and strikeouts soaring, Roach switched to pitching full-time in 2000. From that point, he sped through the minor-league system, rising from rookie league in Pittsfield (Mass.) to Double-A Binghamton in one season.
This year, Roach was 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA for Triple-A Norfolk, and when the Mets needed to fill Saturday's hole in the roster, they chose him over their top-rated pitching prospect, Aaron Heilman. New Mets GM Jim Duquette said Roach had shown better control lately than Heilman, and with the Angels' patient hitters, that was a necessity.
And Wigginton's scouting report? "He's got a good changeup and he's always able to hit his spots," Wigginton said. "Kind of like Jae Seo."
With Seo currently the ace of the Mets' rotation, there's no greater compliment these days.
.
Copyright ? 2003, Newsday, Inc.
06/13/2003 9:58 PM ET
Notes: Saturday the 14th for Jason
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com
ARLINGTON -- When the Mets drafted Jason Roach in the 20th round in 1997, the UNC-Wilmington product had a promising career as a pitcher. In fact, several teams that scouted him planned on using him in that role.
Roach's bat, though, had some pop. He could hit the long ball and the Mets figured he deserved a shot at third base so that's where they put him. Roach didn't disappoint, either, blasting 39 homers in his first three minor league seasons. While he didn't disappoint in the power numbers, his anemic batting average was disappointing.
The youngster's batting average was hovering just over the Mendoza Line when the Mets decided it was time to change things up. So, after watching Roach perform mop-up duty in a couple of blowouts while he was with Class-A St. Lucie, the New York brass decided to get him back on the mound full time.
That was in 1999. After going back to Pittsfield of the New York-Penn League to start over as a pitcher, Roach began a journey that took him to countless minor league cities, on endless bus rides and to places as far away from Anaheim as he could have ever imagined. Traveling that road, however, proved to be well worth it for the North Carolina native.
Roach, 27, will make his Major League debut Saturday night for the Mets, pitching against the defending World Champion Angels. With Tom Glavine missing a start because of elbow problems, New York needed a starter with Roach getting the surprising call.
"This is great," said Roach, who was 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA this season for the Tides. "This is a good opportunity for me to prove I can pitch and see what I can do.
"I was surprised because I really wasn't paying attention to it. A few weeks ago when Mike [Bacsik] and Jeremy [Griffiths] got called up, I was watching it more then."
Roach got the call over former No. 1 draft pick Aaron Heilman, who has also been effective this season at Norfolk. Interim general manager Jim Duquette and manager Art Howe felt that Roach's control and ability to pitch to certain spots was better at this point than Heilman's, a factor that could prove crucial against a patient Anaheim team. He throws four pitches -- fastball, change, curveball and cutter -- with success.
"Aaron will get his chance," said Roach, who will wear No. 57. "He could be here next week for all I know. He's a class act. He's ready. When he gets here, he'll show you what he can do."
While it's only natural that Roach would be nervous, the fact that there are so many of his former Norfolk teammates with the Mets should make his transition easier. Jason Phillips, one of his best friends, has been with the parent club several times this year and should be here for the rest of the year. Phillips' wife, Kelly, picked up Roach and his wife, Tara, at the airport in Orange County Friday.
"I heard he moonwalked out of the clubhouse in Norfolk," Phillips laughed. "We were together back in the Florida State League. He was one of the first guys I met in pro ball. He's a very calm person. There's not a lot of emotion there. He's real quiet."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
A Pitcher Who Had Field Days
David Lennon, Newsday
June 14, 2003
Anaheim, Calif. - Ty Wigginton remembers playing in the minors with Saturday's starting pitcher, Jason Roach. He described Roach as a good third baseman with decent power, as well as a great closer. The two were teammates at Class A St. Lucie, and whenever those Mets didn't want to waste a relief pitcher, Roach would move over from third to finish up.
"We'd be getting blown out in a game and need someone to pitch," Wigginton recalled. "Then Roach would come in and strike out the side."
Roach's four-pitch repertoire of fastball, curve, changeup and slider may have surprised his Florida State League foes, especially coming from a third baseman. His pitching talent, however, was no secret. Roach was primarily a pitcher for UNC-Wilmington, but when the Mets selected him in the 20th round of the 1997 amateur draft, the organization had other ideas.
"Most teams wanted me as a pitcher," Roach said. "But the Mets said they liked my power."
Roach hit 33 home runs over his last two minor-league seasons, a total of 213 games. But with his batting average sinking and strikeouts soaring, Roach switched to pitching full-time in 2000. From that point, he sped through the minor-league system, rising from rookie league in Pittsfield (Mass.) to Double-A Binghamton in one season.
This year, Roach was 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA for Triple-A Norfolk, and when the Mets needed to fill Saturday's hole in the roster, they chose him over their top-rated pitching prospect, Aaron Heilman. New Mets GM Jim Duquette said Roach had shown better control lately than Heilman, and with the Angels' patient hitters, that was a necessity.
And Wigginton's scouting report? "He's got a good changeup and he's always able to hit his spots," Wigginton said. "Kind of like Jae Seo."
With Seo currently the ace of the Mets' rotation, there's no greater compliment these days.
.
Copyright ? 2003, Newsday, Inc.
