University of Georgia Athletics
Braves Take Fields In 2nd Round Of MLB Draft
June 08, 2007 | Baseball
Fields, a native of Hull, Ga., ranks third in school history with 23 saves and sixth in appearances with 78. In his three-year career, he is 7-9 with a 3.90 ERA with 150 strikeouts and 47 walks in 115.1 innings pitched. Fields’ finest season came in 2006 when he earned All-America honors in helping the Bulldogs to the College World Series. As a sophomore, he went 3-2 with a 1.80 ERA and an SEC-best 15 saves. This past year, he posted seven saves and went 1-6 with a 4.46 ERA.
"I spoke with Joshua, and he's excited about being selected by the Braves and we're excited for him," said Georgia coach David Perno. "Personally, I don't think he went as high as he deserved. He's a great player, and he has a decision to make. We're here to help him if we can."
For the fourth straight year, the Braves have drafted a Bulldog. In 2004, catcher Clint Sammons went in the sixth round, pitcher Will Startup was taken in the fifth round in 2005 and last year, first baseman Josh Morris was selected in the 12th round. Fields followed Startup as the Bulldog closer the past two seasons. Currently, Startup is excelling in Triple-A Richmond.
In other related draft news, Georgia signee Ben Revere, the Kentucky Player of the Year and outfielder for Lexington Catholic High School, was selected in the first round (28th overall) by the Minnesota Twins. Also, Bulldog signee Isaiah Froneberger, a left-handed pitcher out of Forest Park High School, was drafted in the fourth round (132nd overall) by the Colorado Rockies.
"Overall, I'm ecstatic about how the first day turned out after we took an early blow when Ben Revere went in the first round," said Perno. "Ben was a key cog in this recruiting class, and it will be tough to overcome, but at the same time, we were fortunate that only Ben and Isaiah were selected Thursday. We are fortunate that some of our other projected draft picks in Kevin Rhoderick, Justin Grimm, Lyle Allen and Ryan Acosta made it through the first day and hopefully will make it to UGA."
Baseball America’s national top 200 prospect list featured the following Bulldog signees: Horizon HS (AZ) pitcher Kevin Rhoderick (#2 in AZ, 125 overall), Revere (#1 in KY, 135 overall), Virginia HS pitcher Justin Grimm (#4 in VA/178 overall). Also, several Bulldog signees were tagged as “other prospects of note” in their state including: Cartersville HS outfielder Lyle Allen (#9 in GA), Froneberger (#12 in GA), and Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic HS infielder/pitcher Ryan Acosta (#36 in FL).
On Friday, Bulldog senior pitcher Adam McDaniel, senior outfielder Jonathan Wyatt and redshirt sophomore pitcher Stephen Dodson should draw interest from among the 30 Major League organizations. The draft will resume in the sixth round Friday at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The draft will have 50 rounds and will end after all 30 teams have passed on a selection or after the final pick of the 50th round, whichever comes first Friday. Teams retain the rights to sign a selected player until 11:59 PM (EDT) August 15, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college on a full-time basis.
