October 11, 2012 at 8:00 AM
Top 40 Season in Review: Ivan De Jesus, Josh Fields
For the next five weeks, SoxProspects.com will count down its top 40
prospects, recapping their seasons and why they're ranked where we have
them in the site's official end-of-season rankings.
#34: Ivan De Jesus, IF
2012 Teams: Albuquerque Isotopes/Los Angeles Dodgers, Pawtucket Red Sox/Boston Red Sox
2012 Final Stats: .220/.267/.293, 3 BB, 13 K, 45 PA (Majors); .304/.343/.416, 3 HR, 16 BB, 56 K
Links
Season in Review: De Jesus made his presence known on the Pawtucket Red Sox after being acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Nick Punto to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The middle infielder managed to exceed the more-than-respectable numbers he put up at Triple-A Albuquerque (.295/.336/.415) with a .385/.429/.423 line in Pawtucket. De Jesus went hitless in his small sample size of eight at-bats with Boston, but he went 9 for 33 in his 2012 stint with the Dodgers.
2013 Outlook: De Jesus is out of options, and his role with the big-league club would likely be as a utility infielder. He may compete with Pedro Ciriaco for a spot on the big league bench, but De Jesus is just as versatile and, theoretically, is a better hitter while perhaps trailing Ciriaco in the speed and defense departments. Some have said that De Jesus may have been frustrated by not getting much of an opportunity in Los Angeles, so the Sox will hope a change of scenery does De Jesus well.
#33: Josh Fields, RHP
2012 Teams: Pawtucket Red Sox/Portland Sea Dogs
Final Stats: 4-3, 12 saves, 42 appearances, 58 1/3 IP, 2.01 ERA, 18 BB, 78 K, .960 WHIP
Links
2012 Season in review: After tweaking his delivery at the beginning of the season, Josh Fields had the best season of his career. Fields, who came to the Red Sox as a part of the Erik Bedard trade in 2011, recovered from a dismal April to post a solid 2.62 ERA over 44 2/3 innings with 16 walks and 59 strikeouts for a 1.03 WHIP in Portland to earn himself a promotion. In Pawtucket, he fared even better throwing 13 2/3 innings without allowing a run, walking only two, and striking out 19 with a .73 WHIP.
2013 Outlook: Fields is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason, and relievers with his pedigree tend to get snapped up, so his future within the Red Sox organization may depend on whether the Sox decide to make room for him on the 40-man roster. If he sticks around, Fields will likely start the 2013 season out of the Pawtucket bullpen, where the 2008 first-round pick will hope to continue to put zeros on the scoreboard and could provide depth for the major league bullpen.
Photo Credit: Ivan De Jesus by Kelly O'Connor; Josh Fields by Kelly O'Connor