Hot Rod of the Day 4/18/14: Johnny Field

The Bowling Green Hot Rods continue their slide to open the season, as they dropped to 2-11 on the year by losing their 11th straight game in the first game of a four game weekend series versus the Clinton LumberKings (Low-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners). The Hot Rods kept it  close and it looked like they were going to squeak out the win through five, but the LumberKings put up a 5 spot in the top of the sixth, and took the lead for good, eventually winning 7-4.

While it’s been tough times for Bowling Green, center fielder Johnny Field has had a stellar beginning to the season. Field is top 25 in the Midwest League (along with two other Hot Rods – Kean Wong and Darryl George) in batting average, and is tied for third in the MWL in home runs with three. In the loss yesterday, Field had the best day at the plate of arguably anyone who played, as he went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored.

Field has long had a knack for being a productive offensive player. In high school, he helped Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas four-peat as state champions, and Field himself etched his name in the Nevada state record books, including 209 hits, which is the third best mark ever, and set the RBI record his senior year by platting 78 runners. Field committed to Arizona as a sophomore, and continued to prove that the early commitment was the right decision. At just 5’10”, Field was never a highly regarded prospect, but he kept performing until he gained recognition. That continues to be the story with him until today.

Field was a dual-sport athlete, and wrestled under his father, John Field, as head coach. On the mat, Field placed in state thrice and won the 171 pound weight class in Nevada as a junior. Throughout high school, he was named as both an All-American baseball player and an honorable mention for All-American wrestler. Oh yeah, and he did all of that while graduating Bishop Gorman with a 3.6 GPA.

Johnny Field is an excellent example of a guy in the organization who, yes, has his baseball smarts, but is a well rounded and simply likable person. Good things come to good people, and few people deserve this hot start more than Field does.