Round 1, Pick 20 - Joshua Fields, RHP

In the 2006 June draft the Seattle Mariners took Brandon Morrow fifth overall, and Phillipe Aumont at number eleven last year. This year the Mariners continued the trend of using their first pick on a top talent arm by selecting Joshua Fields with the 20th pick overall. The Scott Boras client was selected 69th overall by his hometown Atlanta Braves in last year’s draft, but didn’t sign and decided to finish his senior year at Georgia, where he pitched exclusively in relief. Fields is hard-nosed, ready to battle, loves working the plate inside and is a big fan of how Roger Clemens and Mariano Rivera work on the mound. He has preferred closing since his high school days and is the SEC career saves leader and won the Nation Stopper of the Year award this season with the Bulldogs by limiting opposing hitters to .137 batting average and striking out 62 in just 36 innings pitched while recording 17 saves in 17 chances.

Baseball America rated Fields as the closest pitcher in the draft to being major league ready. His four-seamer tops out in the mid-to-high 90s and he has a fantastic curveball. Some concerns surrounding Fields is that his slight stature may not hold up, his fastball lacks movement, and he has had control issues throughout his career, though I wouldn’t be too concerned.

While I’m not exactly enthused about Seattle’s decision to select a reliever with their top pick, there may be some good to come from it. Fields has a chance at breaking into the Seattle bullpen towards the end of this season, certainly by the start of next season, allowing the organization to move Brandon Morrow into the starting rotation, theoretically. With the struggles and injury concerns surrounding J.J. Putz, it’s nice to have a young gun that can step in sooner than later, but Seattle could have spent this pick on a player that would have delivered more of an impact down the line.

Fields is unsigned, as far as I know, but expects to come to terms with the Mariners.

To some of you none of this was new information, especially since the draft took place a few weeks ago, but I hope some of you found out some new info about Seattle’s future closer.