Tampa Bay Rays: All Johnny Field does is win, which bodes well for future

Welcome to “The Show” Johnny Field!  On Friday the Tampa Bay Rays added OF Johnny Field to their roster.

A right-handed corner outfielder, Johnny Field joins the Tampa Bay Rays outfield that already includes Kevin Kiermaier, Denard Span, Carlos Gomez, Mallex  Smith and Rob Refsnyder.

Friday will mark Field’s first appearance in a major league uniform. A 5th round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Rays out of the University of Arizona in 2012, Field spent 2016 in Montgomery and Durham and all of 2017 in Durham. He was exposed to the rule 5 draft after both seasons but was not selected by another team either year.

As a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, the 26-year-old Field was locked into a training camp battle with Brandon Snyder for the 25th spot on the Rays’ opening day roster. When the team headed north from Port Charlotte for the final Spring Training game of the season at the Trop all indications were Field had made the opening day roster.

That was until the Tampa Bay Rays traded cash considerations to the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF/2B Rob Refsnyder. Johnny Field was headed back to Durham for his third straight year.

All He Does is Win

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While never before having played in the major leagues, Field has a pretty darn impressive resume.  As the 2nd baseman for his Las Vegas high school, his team won four straight state championships. In 2012 at University of Arizona, Field won the PAC-12 batting title and led the Wildcats to the College World Series title.

In 2014 Field was honored as the Rays’ Minor League Player of the Year.  In 2017 he was the starting center fielder for the AAA World Champion Durham Bulls.

After Field won the Minor League Player of the Year Rays Director of Minor League Operations Mitch Lukevics had this to say about him via Fox Sports:

"“He really likes to play the game. He works at the game very hard. You wouldn’t put him in a category with some of the other players with total skill, but he has proven with heart, determination and the skill he has that he has become a really good player.”"

The quote summarizes Field’s battle to make it to the Majors. He doesn’t have a great arm, doesn’t hit for power, isn’t a speedster on the base paths or in the outfield and doesn’t walk a lot.  He also isn’t very big, the Rays list him at a generous 5’10”, 180 lbs.

Throughout his minor league career, Johnny Field has consistently been described as “gritty,” “a grinder,” “hard-working” and having “great instincts.” All great attributes, but hardly a ringing endorsement for a future Major League regular.

What Johnny Field does possess is consistency.  He is a career .270 minor league hitter and has produced at every level. He has good gap power; he hit 35 doubles in 111 games for Durham last year.

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The Tampa Bay Rays would gladly take that kind of production from him as a 4th/5th outfielder and right-handed bat off the bench. If he can duplicate his minor league numbers on the big stage, the Rays may have the right-handed bat off the bench they have been searching for.

Go Rays!!!!

* All stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com