Nate Roe gets to come home.
After growing up sitting in the stands watching games at TD Bank Ballpark, and two seasons of having to take the long walk to the visiting clubhouse with the New Britain Bees, the 28-year-old Plainfield native and former Scarlet Knights standout is officially a member of the Somerset Patriots.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” Roe told MyCentralJersey.com.
Roe’s rights were acquired via trade with the Bees, who got reliever Alex Gouin in exchange. It would be hard to argue that, at least for right now anyway, the Patriots didn’t “win” that trade; the affable righty had a 2.98 ERA as a reliever last year, with his overall numbers a bit skewed by some end-of-the-season starts.
That he was traded to Somerset was a difficult secret for Roe to keep until Monday’s announcement, but why he got dealt in the first place is an interesting story in itself.
“The reason was actually much bigger than me,” he said.
“Here” is Somerset, and it’s exactly where Roe wants to be. He earned a spot on the Liberty Division squad at last year’s Atlantic League All-Star Game, which was hosted by the Patriots, and his experience there only cemented what he’d already believed for years.
“To be honest, I knew what the organization was all about leading up to the All-Star Game. But the All-Star Game just kind of solidified what the Somerset Patriots represent; a classy organization that treats the players right and treats the fans right,” Roe said.
The interesting thing now, however, is how Roe is going to slot into that organization from an on-field perspective. He broke into the league as a starter in 2016, but only found success once he moved to the bullpen last year.
Realistically, he’s going to carve out a role towards the middle or back of Somerset’s group of relievers this year, but could also be a candidate to spot start at the very least as well.
“Whether my role is starting or relieving, I still have the same job to do. I’ve still got to throw strikes, I still have to get batters out and I still have to execute pitches,” Roe said.
Posted in Uncategorized on March 6, 2018 by Mike Ashmore.