Josh Roenicke: Taking the Family Business in a New Direction  

When Las Vegas 51s right-hander Josh Roenicke was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 10^th round of the 2006 draft, the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder was described as “a prospect in every sense of the word. He’s got very good stuff and a Major League Baseball pedigree, but he’s older and a bit less polished than one would hope.”

Coming out of UCLA, his upside was huge. He had a fresh arm, clean mechanics, did not fear failure, was not afraid to challenge hitters and threw a 92-95 mile-an-hour fastball with a good 87-89 mph cutter. The downside was he lacked polish, was at an advanced age and needed to improve his control and command.

In four-plus minor league seasons, Roenicke is 18-4 with a 2.96 ERA and 56 saves in 175 appearances. In 200.2 innings he has struck out 235 and walked 82. In 86 appearances at Triple-A, he is 9-0 with 16 saves and a 2.82 ERA. This year with the 51s, the Nevada Union High School product is 6-0 with a 3.24 ERA and a save. In 24 outings, he’s struck out 43 in 41.2 innings and walked 14. 

In Roenicke’s case, the old baseball adage “sometimes a big step forward in performance in one year is followed by a small step backward the next season” does not apply. He’s proven he’s too good for the minor leagues at any level. 

“I feel like I’ve done all that I can at the minor league level,” said Roenicke, who on Monday (08/02) pitched two innings of relief against the Sacramento River Cats and struck out five. “It’s frustrating. I’m a young 28 with a 22-year-old arm. I have high expectations. I want to establish myself and make a name for myself at the major league level.”

Roenicke comes from a baseball family. His father Gary Roenicke, who encouraged him to compete in all sports while growing up, was a first-round draft pick of the Montreal Expos in 1973, played 12 major league seasons and is now a scout for the Baltimore Orioles. His uncle, eight-year veteran and current Los Angeles Angels coach Ron Roenicke, was a first-round selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the secondary phase of the 1977 draft. His older brother, Jarrett, was drafted in 2000 by the San Diego Padres in the 17^th round out of Yuba College. His younger brother, Jason, was a 27^th-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2007 and 19^th-round pick of the Blue Jays in 2008 while pitching at UC Santa Barbara. Neither brother is playing now. 

With the helpful persuasion from his uncle, a UCLA Hall of Fame outfielder, the young Roenicke became a Bruins fan throughout his childhood years. After graduation from Nevada Union High School, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity of becoming a Bruin himself. 

However, Roenicke clearly suffered from a healthy dose of career confusion at UCLA. Despite a father and uncle who played pro ball, he attended the Southern Cal-based college in 2002 along with high school friend and teammate Spencer Havner to play football for then-coach Bob Toledo. In addition, he would play outfield for head coach John Savage on the baseball team. 

He red-shirted his freshman year in football, though, he worked out with the team on a daily basis. But, when Toledo was released from his coaching duties and replaced by Karl Durrell in 2003, Roenicke seldom saw the field again. Even while playing baseball for the Bruins, his heart leaned toward football. In two seasons under the Durrell regime, he was an after-thought. As a receiver, he never caught a pass. Havner, on the other hand, became a tight end for the Green Bay Packers.

After three seasons, Roenicke’s gridiron career was over and his focus turned to baseball. In his four-year career, he played in 126 games and made 81 starts.  However, his bat clearly didn’t live up to his family pedigree. He hit .262 and showed little extra-base hit ability and a total lack of power.   

Fortunately, he dabbled on the mound for the Bruins. He made three relief appearances as a sophomore and 16 more as a senior in 2006. He was 2-3 with a 3.46 ERA and four saves in 15.2 innings. Come draft time, Roenicke’s major league lineage and 95-mile-an-hour fastball wasn’t overlooked by the Reds.  

He made his major league debut with the Reds on Sept. 13, 2008 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Suffering from the jitters, he walked Chris Young and hit Adam Dunn with a pitch before striking out Mark Reynolds on four pitches.  

In 2009, Roenicke was 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA and 12 saves at Triple-A Louisville in 27 games and 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA with the Reds. At the July 31 trade deadline, he was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays along with pitcher Zach Stewart and third baseman Edwin Encarnacion from the Reds for third baseman Scott Rolen and cash considerations. The Blue Jays hoped Roenicke would be the future closer the team so desperately needed. He worked 31 innings for the Blue Jays that season had no record, no saves, struck out 23, walked 16 and compiled a 5.23 ERA. 

This year, the Blue Jays haven’t given him a shot at the closer role yet. They went with right-hander Kevin Gregg (0-4, 3.68, 24 saves) with the big club and Jeremy Accardo (2-0, 2.34, 21 saves) with the 51s. After failing to make the Blue Jays Opening Day roster, he was called up April 27 and in nine games, struggled with control, but did have six good outings in nine tries. He was 1-0 with a 4.97 ERA in 12.2 innings with 12 strikeouts. However, 11 walks proved to be his downfall. When the Blue Jays activated starting pitcher Brian Tallet on June 1, Roenicke was optioned back to the 51s with instructions to throw strikes. 

“I’m doing that now, throwing strikes,” Roenicke said. “Here, at Triple-A, you can stay in a rhythm. Here, I pitch every two to three days. When I’ve been in the big leagues, I sit six days, then get in a game and then sit for seven more days.  It’s real easy to lose your command when that happens.” 

For now, he sits in the Las Vegas bullpen and waits for his next opportunity. He can’t help but believe that will happen soon. 

“Everyone says it’s not about the numbers,” Roenicke said. “But when everything is said and done, it does come down to the numbers.” 

If that’s true, is anyone in the Blue Jays organization looking at his numbers.