Is Josh Fields a bust?

[BearSox]

To be honest, I don't think he has any value. If scouts know about his fastball weakness, then so would GMs that would be considering trading him.

Some team would be willing to trade for him thinking they can possibly fix his swing. It'd be another failed prospect/major project for failed prospect/major project trade, similar to the Thornton trade.

[caulfield12]

Brian Anderson might actually be more valuable in terms of trade value than Josh Fields...

[Dick Allen]

Fields is fixed, per the Tribune:

 

 

Fields believes he might have resolved his problems after an early hitting session with hitting coach Greg Walker.

 

"Hopefully that will be it," Fields said. "They're giving me a day to regroup and think about what's going on."

 

 

I really don't understand how the White Sox could be benching Fields for of all things, strikeouts. A 4 year old could have told them he would be striking out at an alarming rate. He always has. But I am glad Josh got fixed after an early hitting session. I'm sure he'll be next to impossible to fan now.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Fields is fixed, per the Tribune:

 

 

Fields believes he might have resolved his problems after an early hitting session with hitting coach Greg Walker.

 

"Hopefully that will be it," Fields said. "They're giving me a day to regroup and think about what's going on."

 

 

I really don't understand how the White Sox could be benching Fields for of all things, strikeouts. A 4 year old could have told them he would be striking out at an alarming rate. He always has. But I am glad Josh got fixed after an early hitting session. I'm sure he'll be next to impossible to fan now.

Instead of being Eeyore about this, maybe you should take it for what it is - Fields is struggling, needs a day off to get his head straight, works with the hitting coach to adjust, and will now try that adjustment. This is what we should all WANT to happen, and I'm happy to see it. Hopefully it gets him on the right track.

 

[Dick Allen]

Instead of being Eeyore about this, maybe you should take it for what it is - Fields is struggling, needs a day off to get his head straight, works with the hitting coach to adjust, and will now try that adjustment. This is what we should all WANT to happen, and I'm happy to see it. Hopefully it gets him on the right track.

Because it insults my intelligence. If all Josh Fields needed was one session to correct his problems, why did he wait until May 14th for that session? I'm Greg Walker's biggest booster on this site, but even I know the guy can't "fix" a career long problem in a half an hour. He's had a couple days during his struggles to get his head straight.

[NorthSideSox72]

Because it insults my intelligence. If all Josh Fields needed was one session to correct his problems, why did he wait until May 14th for that session? I'm Greg Walker's biggest booster on this site, but even I know the guy can't "fix" a career long problem in a half an hour. He's had a couple days during his struggles to get his head straight.

One session?

 

Where does this illusion come from that if a hitter recognizes they have an issue, they can just instantly adjust anything in their approach/swing/stance and move on? When you hit one way for years, it takes some time to make a major adjustment. No one, not even that article, has said that this one session was the entire thing, like he went from broken to fixed. It just may have been a nice light bulb moment.

 

This article shows us something we should all be happy about. The only insult to anyone's attention is to think that because we see some flaw in a hitter, that means they should be able to adjust instantly and fix it. Ever wonder why that doesn't happen?

 

[Dick Allen]

One session?

 

Where does this illusion come from that if a hitter recognizes they have an issue, they can just instantly adjust anything in their approach/swing/stance and move on? When you hit one way for years, it takes some time to make a major adjustment. No one, not even that article, has said that this one session was the entire thing, like he went from broken to fixed. It just may have been a nice light bulb moment.

 

This article shows us something we should all be happy about. The only insult to anyone's attention is to think that because we see some flaw in a hitter, that means they should be able to adjust instantly and fix it. Ever wonder why that doesn't happen?

Read the article. The whole premise was he had an early BP session with Walker so he should be fine now. I'm happy he's working on it, I just know he will still be a strikeout machine. That is what insults my intelligence and apparently you agree with me. Here's the entire snippet:

 

After being tied for second place in the American League with 39 strikeouts, third baseman Josh Fields is receiving the same disciplinary action Alexei Ramirez received earlier this month.

 

Fields was out of the White Sox lineup Friday night because of manager Ozzie Guillen's frustration with the frequent strikeout rate of his offense.

 

"My point is, I need better at-bats from everyone, and I have [Jayson] Nix," Guillen said. "Nix is swinging the bat pretty well and I need to get him some at-bats. [Fields] is not in the doghouse. This isn't punishment, but that's why [Nix] is playing."

 

Fields believes he might have resolved his problems after an early hitting session with hitting coach Greg Walker.

 

 

 

"Hopefully that will be it," Fields said. "They're giving me a day to regroup and think about what's going on."

 

He's been given a couple days off recently. It hasn't helped.

Edited May 16, 2009 by Dick Allen

[TLAK]

Joe Crede is working his magic in Twinkie land while Fields is plowed under

 

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire tried to find the words to describe what he had just witnessed on Wednesday night.

 

And well, forgive him if he couldn't exactly come up with a way to summarize the Twins' 14-10 walk-off victory over the Tigers that ended after four hours and 48 minutes with Joe Crede's two-out pinch-hit grand slam in the 13th inning.

 

Joe Crede left Friday's game in the fifth inning with tightness in his lower back.

 

This illustrates the Crede enigma in a nut shell. He's a fine player when healthy, but how many games is he really going to be able to play at 100% over a full season. Over half the White Sox checks he cashed over the past couple season were when he was on the DL.

[lostfan]

Read the article. The whole premise was he had an early BP session with Walker so he should be fine now. I'm happy he's working on it, I just know he will still be a strikeout machine. That is what insults my intelligence and apparently you agree with me. Here's the entire snippet:

 

After being tied for second place in the American League with 39 strikeouts, third baseman Josh Fields is receiving the same disciplinary action Alexei Ramirez received earlier this month.

 

Fields was out of the White Sox lineup Friday night because of manager Ozzie Guillen's frustration with the frequent strikeout rate of his offense.

 

"My point is, I need better at-bats from everyone, and I have [Jayson] Nix," Guillen said. "Nix is swinging the bat pretty well and I need to get him some at-bats. [Fields] is not in the doghouse. This isn't punishment, but that's why [Nix] is playing."

 

Fields believes he might have resolved his problems after an early hitting session with hitting coach Greg Walker.

 

 

 

"Hopefully that will be it," Fields said. "They're giving me a day to regroup and think about what's going on."

 

He's been given a couple days off recently. It hasn't helped.

You took a leap to assume he, or anyone besides the person who wrote the article and chose to word it that way, was talking about his strikeouts or some permanent fix. How do you know he wasn't just talking about being held out of the lineup?

Edited May 16, 2009 by lostfan

[Dick Allen]

You took a leap to assume he, or anyone besides the person who wrote the article and chose to word it that way, was talking about his strikeouts or some permanent fix. How do you know he wasn't just talking about being held out of the lineup?

Probably because of this line in the article. I'm assuming the beat writer is going to be somewhat accurate:

 

Fields was out of the White Sox lineup Friday night because of manager Ozzie Guillen's frustration with the frequent strikeout rate of his offense.

[knightni]

Two points

 

1. It is a Josh Fields thread
2. Do not attempt to avoid the swear filter, let it do its job.

 

Three points: Mark Eaton was the center for the Utah Jazz in the late 80s/early 90s.

 

He is thinking of Adam Eaton, pitcher of the Orioles.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Josh is bad at baseball. He's got a K% that rivals Rob Deer. And at least Deer provided power. I won't even get into Fields' pathetic defense at third. Why oh f***ing why did Joe Crede's back have to die!

[knightni]

Josh is bad at baseball. He's got a K% that rivals Rob Deer. And at least Deer provided power. I won't even get into Fields' pathetic defense at third. Why oh f***ing why did Joe Crede's back have to die!

Don't forget about Crede's agent.

[lostfan]

Probably because of this line in the article. I'm assuming the beat writer is going to be somewhat accurate:

 

Fields was out of the White Sox lineup Friday night because of manager Ozzie Guillen's frustration with the frequent strikeout rate of his offense.

Yes, and obviously by saying "Hopefully that will be it" Josh Fields is referring to cutting his strikeouts down by half, which insults our intelligence. He couldn't possibly have been implying the session made him feel good and he hopes he stops struggling, or hopes he will be able to start, or anything else.

[BearSox]

His last AB today was so typical of him. Foul back (and be a bit tardy might I add) a hanging curve right over the plate and make it 2 strikes, and not even come close to hitting a 90 mph fastball right over the plate. By the time he swung, the ball was already in the catchers mit.

 

I've seen enough, to be honest. I'd much rather see Nix out there everyday as he at least provides solid AB's.

[Baines3]

I don't blame Josh for all the strikeouts. If we only had a hitting coach.

[Texsox]

I don't blame Josh for all the strikeouts. If we only had a hitting coach.

 

To be fair, if only we had a hitting coach that was successful with multiple approaches to hitting. Dick has posted several times that Walker has produced results. As long as we populate the roster with Thome and Konerko type hitters, Walker is probably da man. I just do not see him coaching a guy to a high average.

[Dick Allen]

To be fair, if only we had a hitting coach that was successful with multiple approaches to hitting. Dick has posted several times that Walker has produced results. As long as we populate the roster with Thome and Konerko type hitters, Walker is probably da man. I just do not see him coaching a guy to a high average.

Perhaps its the type of hitters that are on the roster is the problem. Orlando Cabrera is hitting .223 with Oakland. Maybe Walker wasn't so bad with him. Swisher is down to .239. The White Sox pretty much have had a line-up with sluggers during Walker's reign. There hasn't been real high on base, high contact guys on the roster. The Walker bashing has gone overboard, but it would reach heights that cannot be equalled if there are more than one or two posts blaming him for Josh Fields striking out. Although I am starting to see the light. Instead of being angry Linebrink gave up a couple of runs yesterday, one on a golf shot and another on a broken bat single, I just b****ed out Cooper. If the player doesn't get the job done, its definitely on the coach. Just like corporate America, it would be crazy to hold the guys making all the money accountable.

 

I guess what I find so funny is the same guys who say Thome is done, his bat has slowed, Konerko needs to be released, Dye is done....then say if these players whose skills they have determined aren't major league quality anymore cannot put up huge numbers like they did when they were in the primes of their careers, its proof postive that Greg Walker sucks.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Dick Allen

[Texsox]

Perhaps its the type of hitters that are on the roster is the problem. Orlando Cabrera is hitting .223 with Oakland. Maybe Walker wasn't so bad with him. Swisher is down to .239. The White Sox pretty much have had a line-up with sluggers during Walker's reign. There hasn't been real high on base, high contact guys on the roster. The Walker bashing has gone overboard, but it would reach heights that cannot be equalled if there are more than one or two posts blaming him for Josh Fields striking out. Although I am starting to see the light. Instead of being angry Linebrink gave up a couple of runs yesterday, one on a golf shot and another on a broken bat single, I just b****ed out Cooper. If the player doesn't get the job done, its definitely on the coach. Just like corporate America, it would be crazy to hold the guys making all the money accountable.

 

I guess what I find so funny is the same guys who say Thome is done, his bat has slowed, Konerko needs to be released, Dye is done....then say if these players whose skills they have determined aren't major league quality anymore cannot put up huge numbers like they did when they were in the primes of their careers, its proof postive that Greg Walker sucks.

 

Dick, you are the Walker expert on this board. I think everyone agrees, he's great with sluggers. Could you list a couple players that have blossomed into more high contact type hitters? Look at golf as an example, Dave Pelz made a career out of helping just the short game. It is not an insult to Walker to say he is not as effective with guys trying to develop into high contact, high average, type players.

[Disco72]

Dick, you are the Walker expert on this board. I think everyone agrees, he's great with sluggers. Could you list a couple players that have blossomed into more high contact type hitters? Look at golf as an example, Dave Pelz made a career out of helping just the short game. It is not an insult to Walker to say he is not as effective with guys trying to develop into high contact, high average, type players.

 

What players have the Sox had that either prior to coming to the Sox or in the minor leagues had that high contact skill set? Walker can't completely remake players into something they weren't before.

[NorthSideSox72]

Fields looked lost at the plate yesterday, but I actually prefer that in the short term to him looking confident and missing. He's obviously still trying to adjust, but he needs some regular playing time to keep that up. Way too early to give up on him.

 

[BearSox]

It really doesn't matter what you think of Walker right now, something needs to be done. Every year since I've been here, there has been talks about firing Walker. I do blame the hitters more than Walker, but guess what.... Walker is the hitting coach. And quite frankly, Walker has failed to provide consistent and positive results.

 

Also, I don't give him credit with players like Dye, Thome, Konerko, etc. and don't take away credit for players like Cabrera, Swisher, etc. Those guys are vets and really, they don't need hitting coaches, IMO. I think the hitting coach needs to work with the young guys most importantly. Dye, Konerko, Thome, they all could be hitting coaches when they retire, if they wanted to. You could even throw young guys like Quentin, Longoria, etc. in that category because those players study and practice so much, they don't need a hitting coach to help them with that stuff. It's guys like Fields, Getz, Lillibridge, Ramirez, Anderson, etc. that need the hitting coaches help, and quite frankly, Walker hasn't gotten through to them.

[Dick Allen]

What players have the Sox had that either prior to coming to the Sox or in the minor leagues had that high contact skill set? Walker can't completely remake players into something they weren't before.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

He hasn't been given these kinds of guys to work with. Its like asking a chef to go into McDonald's kitchen and making something gourmet. It was very interesting to hear Hawk and Stone talk about Cito Gaston and Gene Tenace yesterday. Cito has always been known as a hitting guru. They mentioned that they are very rare because they mention to their hitters actually trying to hit a home run.

 

The White Sox have pretty much had power offense for a while now. I don't know why a lot of people think the home run is bad. I think the lowest homer totals they have had in the last 10 years or so was 2007, they lost 90 games, and this year they are a little behind in the HR dept. and look at their record. If they can't acquire high obp guys who can run, they have to hit homers to score. It was absolutely ridiculous to think this was going to be a good offensive team if guys like Dewayne Wise and Brent Lillibridge were leading off. Blaming Walker is ludicrous. It would be like firing Don Cooper if Mike MacDougal was the closer and he blew another game.

[fathom]

He's now completely lost at the plate. This is where Greg Walker needs to step up and help a young hitter. Unfortunately, Fields and his slow reactions might make it so he never can adjust.

[Kyyle23]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

He hasn't been given these kinds of guys to work with. Its like asking a chef to go into McDonald's kitchen and making something gourmet. It was very interesting to hear Hawk and Stone talk about Cito Gaston and Gene Tenace yesterday. Cito has always been known as a hitting guru. They mentioned that they are very rare because they mention to their hitters actually trying to hit a home run.

 

The White Sox have pretty much had power offense for a while now. I don't know why a lot of people think the home run is bad. I think the lowest homer totals they have had in the last 10 years or so was 2007, they lost 90 games, and this year they are a little behind in the HR dept. and look at their record. If they can't acquire high obp guys who can run, they have to hit homers to score. It was absolutely ridiculous to think this was going to be a good offensive team if guys like Dewayne Wise and Brent Lillibridge were leading off. Blaming Walker is ludicrous. It would be like firing Don Cooper if Mike MacDougal was the closer and he blew another game.

 

 

You should watch top chef a little more often