SK's Jamie Romak receives Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame's top honor

SK Wyverns slugger Jamie Romak celebrates after hitting a double against the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Oct. 11. [YONHAP]

SK Wyverns slugger Jamie Romak has been awarded the James "Tip" O'Neill Award, the top honor that the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has to offer.

Romak, who joined the Wyverns in 2017 and has already re-signed for the 2021 season, was recognized both for his individual statistics and for his contribution to the Wyverns over the last four seasons. The award recognizes one player each year who has "excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals."

Romak finished the 2020 season with a 0.282 batting average with 32 home runs, 91 RBIs and 85 runs after appearing in 139 games. Romak ranked within the KBO's top 10 for the season for home runs, on-base percentage, at 0.399, and slugging, at 0.546.

"Jamie Romak has developed into one of the most feared power hitters in the Korean Baseball Organization,” Scott Crawford, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s director of operations, was quoted as saying on the organization's website. "Those numbers were the best by any Canadian professional player this year. Most importantly, Jamie is highly respected by his peers and teammates and has been a great ambassador of the game for our country."

Over his four years in the KBO, Romak has a 0.283 batting average with 357 RBIs and 135 home runs. In 2018 he came second in the league's home run count with a huge 43, beaten only by the Doosan Bear's Kim Jae-hwan, with 44.

“It’s an absolute honor to receive this award and have my name engraved beside so many great players — many of whom I grew up idolizing,” Romak was quoted as saying. “I am motivated by the generations of Canadian ball players before me that have made their mark and done so with dignity."

Romak was chosen for the award over Canadian major leaguers including Tyler O’Neill of the St. Louis Cardinals, Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds and Jordan Romano of the Toronto Blue Jays.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]