Remembering Josh Fields
by Freneau on Jan 30, 2011 2:51 PM EST
in Honoring & Remembering Former Kansas City Royals
Email
PrintThe Royals acquired Josh Fields in the winter of 2009, with Fields coming over as part of the Mark Teahen trade. From the beginning, no one was quite sure what the point of bringing in Fields was and as that off-season got more baffling, it became even less apparent. Was Fields a throw in or was that Getz? (Always the sign of a great trade when both players you acquire might be toss-in afterthoughts.) It was probably Getz. Probably. But there was that little issue of Chris Getz being terrible. Maybe they wanted Fields. Or did they?
Fields made life easy for the Royals with an early season injury that everyone thought was probably fake, only he was then sidelined for months. Months later, after Alberto Callaspo, Scotty Pods, and Dick Ankiel had all been traded, after Brian Anderson had quit trying to be a position player and after David DeJesus has injured his wrist, there was room for Fields to play. He debuted as a Royal on Sept 3 and played occasionally during the season's final month.
His time as a Royal was so utterly pointless that no one really noticed it, but he wasn't that bad. Fields posted a .810 OPS in 13 games with the 2010 Royals, hitting to the tune of a .302/.320/.490 line in 50 PAs. A classic Dayton Royal, he needed an out-of-nowhere .302 batting average to post a still substandard .320 OBP. Solid.
After a quasi-good 2007 season in which he hit .244/.308/.480 in 418 PAs with the White Sox, Fields's career has gone nowhere. Between 2008-10, Fields stepped to the plate just 353 times for the White Sox and Royals. Now a Pirate, he appears to be set on the tried and true he played for eight franchises in ten years career path. He's got some power and those 23 HRs he hit with the '07 White Sox will open doors for him the next decade as a minor league FA and Spring Training invitee. It's almost guaranteed he'll be an Athletic before 2014.
For me, Fields is a nice shorthand for a hopefully ending era. He was half-famous, a quarter-useful, and just kinda there for awhile, as whatever logic the Royals had at 3B/DH/4th OF worked itself out during a bizarre 2010. He was also a true blue good ole boy, Oklahoma native, and vocal FCA type. I'm sure he made a big impression during Fanfest. And then we forgot or never quite discerned why he was around. And then he played 13 games after we'd all checked out. Thusly, let us remember dear Josh Fields, a Kansas City Royal in 2010.
65 comments
|
2 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Our Royals' flag football team
Has taken a significant hit.
by KyleM on Jan 30, 2011 3:11 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
We Still have Pat White
Your 2010 Royals Review Fantasy Football Keeper League Champion
Pitchers and Catchers report Feb 13, 2011
by averagegatsby on Jan 30, 2011 4:22 PM EST up reply actions
HIs tenure hosting the Mark Teahen show
was the least distinguished era of that show ever. I’m hoping “The Mark Teahen Show Hosted by Jeff Francouer” can bring it back to its former glory.
by Dadunca on Jan 30, 2011 3:41 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I saw Teahen on the FanFest Show
And just in the 2 minutes of him talking, it really made me miss The Mark Teahen Show. Brian Anderson showed promised to take over the show until he decided he wanted to be a pitcher.
OT
But can someone with ESPN insider go look at Keith Law’s sleeper prospects and post the Royals prospect that he picked?
x
Right-handers Robinson Yambati and Yordano Ventura would have been top-10 prospects in most organizations, but not in the loaded Kansas City system. Yambati will reach 98-99 and Ventura triple digits. Yambati has a stronger body and some natural sink, while Ventura can pitch a little more with a Pedro Martinez build and a slurvy slider that he needs to refine.
I never heard that Yambati could hit high 90's before....
that is good to know….
"As a Karate expert, I will not talk about any of you." Jimmy McMillan
by PREGNANT ROLLERSKATE on Jan 30, 2011 6:27 PM EST up reply actions
Didn't really get a chance
Due to the hip injury (the same Gordon had previously had), he didn’t really get a chance. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him explode this year for the Pirates. Considering we’re about to move Aviles to 3B after SS and 2B, I’d rather we have kept him and played Fields at 3B, Aviles at 2B.
Getz was (and is) the POS throw-in.
Yes, it was the same thing Gordon had.
Go Royals!
I'd be very surprised if he exploded for Pittsburgh....given that he's quite terrible at baseball.
In fact, I’d be less surprised if he literally exploded in Pittsburgh, ala Peter “James” Bond and Mick Shrimpton.
Killing time until time kills me
There is only one MLB journeyman who is capable of exploding...
by Sweep_the_Leg on Jan 30, 2011 9:07 PM EST up reply actions
I think you have exploding mixed up with gloading.
by TheHouseFrankBuiltLiterally on Jan 30, 2011 9:19 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
You Mean Russ
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Jan 31, 2011 1:09 PM EST up reply actions
Aviles' D at 2B is thought to be questionable
It appears as though Aviles will move to 3B, where he should be better defensively than Betemit, and Betemit will be a kind of corner utility guy who will be a defensive liability wherever he plays—unless he is DHing, which none of us really want… because of the implication.
Hating life as a Royals fan 365 days a year at Royalscentricity
by Old Man Duggan on Jan 31, 2011 6:49 AM EST up reply actions
The Teahan trade was1 of the most...
oddest & almost pointless trades I think GMDM has made…..could have just DFA’d him & probably had the same result….
"As a Karate expert, I will not talk about any of you." Jimmy McMillan
by PREGNANT ROLLERSKATE on Jan 30, 2011 6:30 PM EST reply actions
Would have saved 2 million that way.
Go Royals!
very true I forgot that....
so that makes the trade a bad move….IMO
"As a Karate expert, I will not talk about any of you." Jimmy McMillan
by PREGNANT ROLLERSKATE on Jan 30, 2011 7:10 PM EST up reply actions
agreed...I hope that Teahen does better except not against us...
I liked Teahen & still root for him…from a far
"As a Karate expert, I will not talk about any of you." Jimmy McMillan
by PREGNANT ROLLERSKATE on Jan 30, 2011 7:13 PM EST up reply actions
That Sounds Canadian
Which is appropriate, I suppose.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Jan 31, 2011 1:11 PM EST up reply actions
I agree on the comment about just DFA'ing him, but really
at the end of the day, this deal is really just nothing. We traded one bad starting utility guy for an injured guy and a guy who will probably never hit more than .270 in a year. So, meh…..
In my view, this is the one area the Royals should go out and get a decent 2B guy who can also play SS and 3B in a pinch and get rid of, say, Getz, Betemit and possibly Aviles (though he might still be an ok utility guy). Here’s the 2B list of post-2011 season free agents per mlbtraderumors.com:
Clint Barmes
Willie Bloomquist (oh come on, you know you want him back in KC)
Robinson Cano
Jamey Carroll
Luis Castillo
Alex Cora
Craig Counsell
Mark Ellis
Jerry Hairston Jr
Bill Hall
Aaron Hill
Omar Infante
Kelly Johnson
Jose Lopez
Augie Ojeda
Brandon Phillips
Freddie Sanches
Rickie Weeks
I’ll post my thoughts later on, but all factors considered, I can take a guess which one of these players would probably be at the top of Moore’s list (maybe two).
by Cap Midnight on Feb 1, 2011 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
He was also a true blue good ole boy, Oklahoma native, and vocal FCA type.
Will…. this sounds like a restraint statement on your part….based on previous mentionings of this sort you have expressed your disdain…I could be wrong…either way it was refreshing not hear such caricature so far by any posters….
"As a Karate expert, I will not talk about any of you." Jimmy McMillan
by PREGNANT ROLLERSKATE on Jan 30, 2011 7:23 PM EST reply actions
Does FCA
stand for Fucking Christ Army?
Hating life as a Royals fan 365 days a year at Royalscentricity
by Old Man Duggan on Jan 30, 2011 9:03 PM EST up reply actions
Nevermind
Did some googling.
Funeral Consumers Alliance. I can only assume he eats funerals. Or eats at them. They really need to choose a better name.
Hating life as a Royals fan 365 days a year at Royalscentricity
by Old Man Duggan on Jan 31, 2011 6:53 AM EST up reply actions
So you hate Christians?
"As a Karate expert, I will not talk about any of you." Jimmy McMillan
by PREGNANT ROLLERSKATE on Jan 31, 2011 1:34 PM EST up reply actions
Where's the proof of that? What is wrong w/ that, anyway?.........
I thought you guys are going to censor comments like “Old Man duggan”s comments above…atleast that’s what Scott McKinney said about politcal speech, I guess this is just hate speech towards your own disliked group so its all good…
http://www.royalsreview.com/2011/1/23/1951198/how-good-is-the-billy-butler-contract-for-the-royals#57671034
“either way it was refreshing not hear such caricature so far by any posters….”, I wasn’t very clear but I was referring to “posters” expressing their personal disdain for the “Good Ol…FCA types”. Nocticed I used “SO FAR” bc I knew the Old Man Duggan’s just can’t resist themselves…..
Lastly, so it was a restraint statement bc u hate christians & especially the vocal ones?
"As a Karate expert, I will not talk about any of you." Jimmy McMillan
by PREGNANT ROLLERSKATE on Jan 31, 2011 1:32 PM EST up reply actions
What?
Simmer down. Nobody’s talking about not liking Christians. Moore just has a track record of acquiring players with good ‘character’ (may include grit, leadership, strong Christian values, etc) but an apparent lack of baseball talent. The problem some see is that Moore seems to value character too much and a record of successfuly hitting too little. Will sometimes makes note of the “good ol’ boy” factor because it’s part of a theme in Moore acquisitions, but ultimately, we don’t care what religion the players are; we just want them to be good at baseball.
Read "Old Man Duggan" above on this thread....
I understand what you are saying….but Sweeny gets criticized on here for being a FCA…no one mentions that Beltran was a FCA as well….on a side note so is Puljos
"As a Karate expert, I will not talk about any of you." Jimmy McMillan
by PREGNANT ROLLERSKATE on Jan 31, 2011 3:42 PM EST up reply actions
i dont criticize beltran for his FCAness
b/c i didnt even know about it. i dont have a problem with people believing what they want. i have a problem with athletes, actors, etc preaching. i shouldnt know sweeneys religious beliefs from watching baseball games
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Jan 31, 2011 6:52 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Exactly.
And to be fair, if I were to stand up at the office and start pointing to the sky after making a sale, and then telling my boss that I give all the glory to God for what he allowed me to do, I’d probably get fired or people would think I was crazy. But somehow this is acceptable in sports? I grew up Christian, and don’t hate them. I just find the whole thing about wearing your religion on your sleeve to be ridiculous.
IIRC, Jesus Admonished
The faithful not to make a public display of prayer. This strikes me as a very Jewish idea, like not publicizing charity.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Feb 2, 2011 12:47 AM EST up reply actions
why didnt
the royals give josh fields a shot??
i would like to have a photographic memory, but it never developed
I hacked into their medical records
He actually had been vaccinated.
(I need to go to bed)
Hating life as a Royals fan 365 days a year at Royalscentricity
by Old Man Duggan on Jan 31, 2011 6:54 AM EST up reply actions
It Was Groovy
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Jan 31, 2011 2:26 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The way I see it, he had one year......
to prove himself before Moose was ready and he promptly got injured that year. So year, he’s nothing now. Hopefully, the Pirates can find some use for him.
by Cap Midnight on Feb 1, 2011 11:35 AM EST up reply actions
As weird as it sounds
I’m looking forward to seeing him play a little bit in Indianapolis.
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain
Is this more of a statement about how little there is to do in Indianapolis or about how keen you are on Josh Fields?
Hating life as a Royals fan 365 days a year at Royalscentricity
by Old Man Duggan on Jan 31, 2011 6:50 AM EST up reply actions
Josh Fields is now listed
as the Pittsburgh Pirates starting third baseman for 2011.\
Now watch this guy hit for a .330 average with 30 HR’s and a .998 fielding percentage.
They all become great when the leave the Royals.
"If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em."
~Yogi Berra~
I Wouldn't Lose
Any sleep over this possibility.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Feb 2, 2011 12:48 AM EST up reply actions
Moose will be here midseason hopefully, so there was no point to resigning him.
I’m with you. I hope he does resurrect his career.
That was meant to be sarcasm.
"If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em."
~Yogi Berra~
you never know with you....
you thought 4 bad pitchers would turn this team into a 90 win team….you gotta let us know
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Feb 2, 2011 8:29 PM EST up reply actions
Not interested in argueing with ya. Have a nice day Billy.
"If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em."
~Yogi Berra~
Thanks for the hope returned to us from Gil Meche
who unselfishly retired and allowed the Royals to save his 12M salary for 2011, as I predicted upon his retirement, that the Royals will seek to spend approximately half of that money on FA starting pitching and save the rest…
(despite the fact that Dayton Moore came out in the press just 3 days or so before Gil’s announcement, that the club was done with FA’s and would go into 2011 with who they have)
it appears that the Royals and Dayton Moore, are doing just about exactly that…first by signing Francis, then Bruce Chen, and now…..
even though a Millwood signing would likely put the Royals over 6M in FA pitcher signings (Millwood could get up to 4M or so for a 1 year deal, I believe) the Royals are doing about exactly as I predicted in order to bolster a very weak rotation by nabbing 2 and hopefully Millwood to make it 3 guys from that FA list since Meche freed up that money……and now….
suddenly, if the Royals can pull the trigger on Millwood, the starting rotation for 2011 in my opinion looks somewhat promising to me, and one which will certainly make watching the 2011 time-biding until 2012 version of the Royals, a much more interesting club to watch.
Francis
Millwood
Hochevar
Chen
Davies
with Sullivan and Mazarro competing for a spot….
In short, the random act of kindness and "mercy" bestowed upon the Royals and the fans in KC, have enabled the Royals to avoid fielding a guaranteed 100 loss rotation, to a team, who’s rotation has the potential to bring a .500 team to the fans.
I think they can, I think they can, I think they can.
I hope. I hope.
“If people don’t want to come out to the ball park, nobody’s gonna stop ’em.”
"If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em."
~Yogi Berra~
I'd trade the $12M for the top overall pick next year.
What a waste. If we aren’t going to compete, we might as well be bad and get a good draft pick.
I don't think trying to compete this year has any effect on signing our draft picks
whatsoever.
And I do think signing Francis, Chen, and personally I hope they do sign Millwood, will make the club a lot more competitive than we were prior to those signings, and will make the team a lot more fun to watch this year.
For me, it’s about having a little hope until the cavalry arrives.
"If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em."
~Yogi Berra~
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Royals Review
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- College player makes impossible over the fence catch to save tournament game (Video)
- Security!: Camden Yards guard collides with Royals’ Mike Moustakas
- The Juice: Nelson Cruz matches career high eight RBIs, Pujols stays hot in Seattle
- Benches clear at Fenway as Red Sox-Rays rivalry heats up
- Keeping good company: Albert Pujols becomes fourth-youngest player to hit 450 home runs
