Former first-round pick and one-time top prospect Josh Fields has signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies.
Once upon a time Fields was the White Sox’s third baseman of the future, but after smacking 23 homers in 100 games as a rookie in 2007 he hit just .228 with 10 homers and a .649 OPS in his next 106 games.
Fields is 29 years old now and spent last season at Triple-A in the Dodgers’ farm system, hitting .288 with 13 homers and an .880 OPS in 133 games. Those numbers look solid, but they’re not very impressive for a non-prospect playing in the extremely hitter-friendly environment in Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League.
Fields has experience in the corner infield and corner outfield spots, so he’ll compete for a bench gig during spring training.
