Josh Fields

[greg775]

I'm officially excited about Josh Fields.

The guy has 20 home runs.

Should he be rookie of the year over his elder Dice K?

Is he gonna be better than KC's Gordon?

Fields is blasting homer after homer in the year of the dead ball.

If they liven up the ball again, is this guy going to whack 50 a year?

Are you all convinced he is a certain star?

Strawberry Fields forever!

[sayitaintso]

I'm officially excited about Josh Fields.

The guy has 20 home runs.

Should he be rookie of the year over his elder Dice K?

Is he gonna be better than KC's Gordon?

Fields is blasting homer after homer in the year of the dead ball.

If they liven up the ball again, is this guy going to whack 50 a year?

Are you all convinced he is a certain star?

Strawberry Fields forever!

He won't win ROY for two reasons. #1 he has a pretty bad AVG. #2 he has a horrible OBP. He does have the best power numbers out of any AL Rookie though.

[greg775]

Good points sayitaintso, but are you excited about Fields?

Do you think he's a star in waiting?

[Kalapse]

He won't win ROY for two reasons. #1 he has a pretty bad AVG. #2 he has a horrible OBP. He does have the best power numbers out of any AL Rookie though.

Better reason: Dustin Pedroia has better numbers and he plays for the BoSox.

[greg775]

When is the last time a Sox rookie has put up those kind of home run numbers?

Wouldn't he look good as Sox DH the next 20 years?

Trade Thome who is showing he still has some pop in his bat for some studs and let Fields DH?

Just a thought.

[Reddy]

I'm officially excited about Josh Fields.

The guy has 20 home runs.

Should he be rookie of the year over his elder Dice K?

Is he gonna be better than KC's Gordon?

Fields is blasting homer after homer in the year of the dead ball.

If they liven up the ball again, is this guy going to whack 50 a year?

Are you all convinced he is a certain star?

Strawberry Fields forever!

 

wow thats some crazy intense love you got for the guy.

 

i actually love fields too but his strikeout numbers are pretty scary... i'm not really sure i want him to be an adam dunn although if he produces the numbers dunn does then i guess i'd take it, but i dont see josh really hitting 40 a year.

 

if he can get those walks up and cut the K's he could be a helluva player. already almost as many ribbies as Dye

[Kalapse]

When is the last time a Sox rookie has put up those kind of home run numbers?

Wouldn't he look good as Sox DH the next 20 years?

Trade Thome who is showing he still has some pop in his bat for some studs and let Fields DH?

Just a thought.

Jeff Abbott put up similar power numbers as a rooking in '98, though Jeff actually had a higher SLG.

 

Also, Jeff Liefer: 18 HR in 254 ABs in 2001.

[hitlesswonder]

Jeff Abbott put up similar power numbers as a rooking in '98, though Jeff actually had a higher SLG.

 

Also, Jeff Liefer: 18 HR in 254 ABs in 2001.

I was going to post the Liefer comparison as well. Fields hasn't done anything yet to make me sure he has a long-term future in MLB. At least not one any better than Liefer's was. Right now, Fields is a defensive liability wherever he plays and is generating less offense than a replacement-level LF -- he had a negative VORP coming into tonight. The HRs don't make up for the atrocious OBP. I'm not saying he can't become a good major league player, but he's not one now.

[greg775]

That's scary that Liefer put up those kind of numbers.

He sucked.

Hopefully Josh will be a Sox lifer not a Liefer.

[Chi Town Sox]

If Dustin Pedroia was not an option along with Josh having more at bats this year, he could have had a good chance at winning it even with his horrible avg. See Bobby Crosby (who did have a higher OBP though, less SLG and close OPS. but plays better D)

Fields has very close numbers to him even though he played significantly less. Youve gotta believe that Fields would have probably been better towards the end of a whole year.

 

Crosby - G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

151 545 70 130 34 1 22 64 58 141 7 3 .239 .319 .426 .744

 

Fields - G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

88 332 39 77 14 0 19 59 25 114 1 1 .232 .285 .446 .731

[witesoxfan]

If Dustin Pedroia was not an option along with Josh having more at bats this year, he could have had a good chance at winning it even with his horrible avg. See Bobby Crosby (who did have a higher OBP though, less SLG and close OPS. but plays better D)

Fields has very close numbers to him even though he played significantly less. Youve gotta believe that Fields would have probably been better towards the end of a whole year.

 

Crosby - G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

151 545 70 130 34 1 22 64 58 141 7 3 .239 .319 .426 .744

 

Fields - G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

88 332 39 77 14 0 19 59 25 114 1 1 .232 .285 .446 .731

 

That was also an absolutely terrible rookie class; the White Sox had two guys finish in the top 10.

 

For comparison's sake, Josh Fields is probably the 4th best rookie between Kansas City's roster and the White Sox roster (I count Bannister, Butler, and Gordon ahead of him in that order).

[Gregory Pratt]

If he doesn't learn to rip a fastball, particularly the inside fastball, he's going to lose his power numbers which is his game right now. He'd better adapt and shorten up by next season or else he's going to find himself sucking at baseball. Not to be a downer, I like Fields a lot, but his strikeouts, inability to hit a fastball and opposite field blasts tell me there are significant changes to be made for him or the pitchers are going to eat him alive.

 

You can't be a major leaguer for long if you can't hit the fastball.

[SoxFan562004]

I'm a big fan of Josh too, but his OBP is extremely low. Would like to see him show more patience, but seems the raw power is there

[kapkomet]

Josh Fields = Joe Borchard?

 

(let the rumblings begin... )

[hitlesswonder]

Josh Fields = Joe Borchard?

 

(let the rumblings begin... )

 

Borchard could hit fastballs. It was breaking stuff that ate him up.

 

You have to think that when pitchers learn they can pump 90 MPH heat down the heart of the plate and Fields can't do anything with it that he'll be in trouble. I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to trade Fields now...it would have been better to do that before moving him to LF. For his career's sake, the Sox should trade him to PHI or some other place where they have someone that actually teaches players how to hit.

[kapkomet]

Borchard could hit fastballs. It was breaking stuff that ate him up.

 

You have to think that when pitchers learn they can pump 90 MPH heat down the heart of the plate and Fields can't do anything with it that he'll be in trouble. I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to trade Fields now...it would have been better to do that before moving him to LF. For his career's sake, the Sox should trade him to PHI or some other place where they have someone that actually teaches players how to hit.

Oh no, that's true - but I wonder if the value is about the same. However, learning to hit the fastball is a lot easier IMO then to learn to hit breaking junk crap pitches. If he shortens his swing and compacts himself a little, he should be all right.

 

[southsider2k5]

The sad thing is that Fields has actually exceeded my expectations for him this year. With as many holes as he has in his swing, I didn't think he would be hitting .200 this year. I will be interested to see the progress that he makes into next year.

[Steve9347]

Josh Fields will = Troy Glaus

 

I actually see him putting up very similar numbers to Glaus, but let's hope for a better run in the health dept.

 

I'll happily take that.

[Gregory Pratt]

I've thought of Glaus/Fields before. But before I project him as anything, he needs to hit the fastball. He's been in a big slump lately and I think it's because they've figured him out. Now he has to shorten up. If he can, he'll be okay, I think, because his power is great and he has good legs under him. If he can't learn to pull a fastball, he has no significant major league future.

Edited September 18, 2007 by Gregory Pratt

[Steve9347]

I've thought of Glaus/Fields before. But before I project him as anything, he needs to hit the fastball. He's been in a big slump lately and I think it's because they've figured him out. Now he has to shorten up. If he can, he'll be okay, I think, because his power is great and he has good legs under him. If he can't learn to pull a fastball, he has no significant major league future.

 

Hmmm, 3rd baseman with a long swing that struggles against the fastball but kills the offspeed pitch. JOEEEE CREEEDEEEE anyone?

 

I do think Fields will wind up being Glaus 2.0, but you are right, he has to learn to kill that fastball.

[Gregory Pratt]

Hmmm, 3rd baseman with a long swing that struggles against the fastball but kills the offspeed pitch. JOEEEE CREEEDEEEE anyone?

 

I do think Fields will wind up being Glaus 2.0, but you are right, he has to learn to kill that fastball.

 

Crede isn't all that hot. Probably not even a top ten third baseman in baseball. Maybe not even top fifteen. If Fields turns into Crede, I'll be disappointed because he'll never be as good defensively as Joe which is his true value.

[RockRaines]

If he doesn't learn to rip a fastball, particularly the inside fastball, he's going to lose his power numbers which is his game right now. He'd better adapt and shorten up by next season or else he's going to find himself sucking at baseball. Not to be a downer, I like Fields a lot, but his strikeouts, inability to hit a fastball and opposite field blasts tell me there are significant changes to be made for him or the pitchers are going to eat him alive.

 

You can't be a major leaguer for long if you can't hit the fastball.

Are you saying he cant hit the ball out to RF?

 

Here is his spray chart

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_player...&statType=1

 

He has hit a few out there, in fact he is mostly a left center gap hitter.

[Gregory Pratt]

Yeah, sure, but he can't pull fastballs. He kills breaking pitches but that isn't going to last forever, especially not as the league adjusts, which it's currently doing. There are good signs -- when he took Putz deep, that was a great game to be at, but there are some awful signs, too, like all the times he strikes out on 89-91 pitches down the pipe and the fact that he Ks so much.

[fathom]

Yeah, sure, but he can't pull fastballs. He kills breaking pitches but that isn't going to last forever, especially not as the league adjusts, which it's currently doing. There are good signs -- when he took Putz deep, that was a great game to be at, but there are some awful signs, too, like all the times he strikes out on 89-91 pitches down the pipe and the fact that he Ks so much.

 

I'd rather he be striking out on medicore fastballs than chasing sliders off the plate. His pitch recognition isn't horrible, and he does draw a lot of 3-2 counts. The most promising thing about him is the way the ball jumps off of his bat. I'd rather have someone with that type of potential than most of our minor league prospects, who need an aluminum bat to get the ball out of the infield.

[fathom]

I've thought of Glaus/Fields before. But before I project him as anything, he needs to hit the fastball. He's been in a big slump lately and I think it's because they've figured him out. Now he has to shorten up. If he can, he'll be okay, I think, because his power is great and he has good legs under him. If he can't learn to pull a fastball, he has no significant major league future.

 

Troy Glaus has been one of the more consistent power hitters during the 2000s. Comparing Fields to him is quite lofty.