Rumor Roundup: Tony Ci... (03/17)
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March 17, 2015 BP UnfilteredDreams of FieldsIn the rare case you might not be familiar with the athlete, Matt Fields is on the left:
On the backfields, Matt Fields looks like lumbering, first-base depth at best. In batting practice, Matt Fields' mass is far from fully utilized, as there appears to be equal amounts of unproductive and productive movement in his swing. But Matt Fields was not built for the backfield. No, he was built for the moment. Sure, the doubters will point to his first A-game at-bat. An at-bat in which (i) he struck out on three swings and misses versus same-side pitching and (ii) a scout of prominent genealogy said, "it's like he's swinging underwater" and then chuckled menacingly. The author googled “Matt Fields wiki” for personal information on the slugger. This was the second result:
Alas, with this much-awaited Nick Tropeano/Jason Vargas spring training game on the line in the late innings, our hero walked to the plate. The baseball gods, the nature of spring training, and Mike Scioscia blessed the world by leaving lefty Nate "not Joe" Smith in the game. With two on and two out, Smith challenged the elephantine slugger with a fastball down the middle. And Matt Fields swung. The bat contacted the ball, the ball flew into the night, children screamed, sinners cried, and the heart of the world was warmed. The 6-3 game was now 6-6 via three-run home run, via Matt Fields. Major-league hitter our Matt Fields is not, but a late-inning, spring training hero he will always be.
Jeff Quinton is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @jjq01
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