Name: Josh Fields
Rank: 134
Position: 3B
Years With White Sox: 2006-2009
Josh Fields joined the White Sox organization as their first round pick in the 2004 draft. He made his major league debut on September 13, 2006 as a defensive replacement in the White Sox 9-0 victory over the Angels. 6 days later, Fields became the third White Sox player, following Carlos Lee and Miguel Olivo, to homer in their first major league at bat.
Fields entered the 2007 season rated as the second-best prospect in the White Sox organization, and got his first chance at extended playing time in the major leagues when Joe Crede went down with a season-ending back injury. Fields appeared to be one of the bright spots on that miserable team, finishing the year with a .244 average and 24 home runs in only 100 games, good enough for one third place Rookie of the Year vote.
With a healthy Crede back in the fold for 2008, Fields returned to Triple A, where he had a disappointing, injury-marred season.
Fields became the starting third baseman in 2009, with Joe Crede moving on to the Twins. Fields appeared in 79 games, but struggled to hit with consistency and was eventually replaced by rookie Gordon Beckham. The highlight of his season came on July 23, when he hit a grand slam and recorded the final putout in Mark Buerhle’s perfect game against the Rays.
Following the season, Fields, along with Chris Getz, was traded to the Royals for Mark Teahen.
Fields’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
| BA | At Bats | Runs | Hits | RBI | Walks | Strike Outs | Doubles | Triples | HR | SB | GIDP | Errors | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.229 | 109 | 14 | 25 | 14 | 12 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 36 |
| 0.229 | 664 | 90 | 152 | 101 | 68 | 226 | 25 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 16 | 21 | 204 |
