JUPITER, Fla. — Two starts. That’s all the acclimation period left-hander Drew Rom had with the Cardinals Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds after he arrived via trade from the Baltimore Orioles last August.
He started a pair of games, then received a call to the majors for his debut. He remained in the Cardinals starting rotation for the final six weeks of the season.
Rom rode a whirlwind first couple of months in the organization right into the offseason.
On Sunday, he’ll start the club’s third spring training exhibition game (they’ll play a pair of split squad games on Saturday) against a Houston Astros split squad at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. His fellow left-handers Zack Thompson and Matthew Liberatore will start Saturday’s games.
Rom, 24, expressed modest goals for his first exhibition outing with the Cardinals. He boiled it down to handling the adrenaline, throwing strikes and executing pitches.
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“Yeah, you don’t get the whole big league adrenaline rush, but it’s the first game of the season,†Rom said Thursday morning. “It’s going to be a little bit there. It’s just controlling the nerves, control the emotions, just settle down and throw strikes, execute my pitches and compete.â€
In his eight major league starts, Rom went 1-4 with a 8.02 ERA. He registered a 2.08 WHIP with 32 strikeouts and 19 walks in 33 2/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted .340 against him.
The shining moment of Rom’s first taste of the majors came when he faced his former organization and pitched against a bevy of former teammates at Camden Yards on Sept. 13 in Baltimore He allowed just two hits and walked three in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He also struck out seven in a 1-0 Cardinals win.
Rom, who’d spent more than five years in the Orioles farm system, said one of the things that stands out the most about that outing is the way harnessed his emotions.
“I think that was the best day I had just because I was able to mentally lock in from Pitch 1,†Rom said.
In 21 games (20 starts) at Triple-A last season, Rom went 9-6 with a 4.82 ERA. He recorded a WHIP of 1.57 with a strikeout rate of 10.95 per nine innings and a 2.36-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 97 innings.
The biggest lesson Rom took from his time in the majors may have been the need for a different mentality on the mound.
“Just attacking more and trusting my stuff,†Rom said. “Coming up to the big leagues, I think I was kind of nitpicking a little bit too much rather than just trusting my stuff and just going after hitters.
"I think that was kind of a big mentality change for this year. They’re just normal hitters, so just go out and compete and let them make mistakes.â€
Rom may have another change up his sleeve, but he seemed to want to play his cards close to his chest in that regard.
Last season, he featured a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a sweeper and a split finger fastball/change-up. He also dropped down to a lower arm slot when facing left-handed batters.
“Maybe a couple arsenal changes too that you’ll have to see during the season or during that first spring training game,†Rom said with a grin. “We’ll see if they work out or not.â€
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