August 14, 2015
Roemon Fields began the 2015 season with Dunedin. (Cliff Welch/MiLB.com)
(MANCHESTER)—Playing for the love of the game. When all else fails after college, and it looks like the end of the road for an aspiring major league baseball player, it’s time to fall in with the rest of society and baseball turns strictly to a weekend hobby. The story of Roemon Fields is one of drive, dedication, and a passion for the game of America’s pastime.
(Headshot courtesy of MiLB.com)
Roemon Fields is a young baseball player with a unique story. He did not blow away scouts while in high-school, did not get a straight-shot to professional baseball, and as a matter of fact, he was not even drafted after he finished his college career at Bethany College in Kansas. When all hope seemed lost for the Washington native, he returned home to Seattle, where he worked for the post office.
“I thought it was the end,” said Fields. “I wasn’t going to be lazy, so I went home and searched for a good career opportunity.”
Fields had settled into a new lifestyle, but his journey took an unexpected turn when he decided to play in local five-day tournament, strictly because he had a strong passion for baseball, and wanted to remain active.
“I wasn’t hoping for anything,” Fields recalled. “I was just playing to be playing, and wasn’t thinking much of it.”
After performing well in front of scouts during the tournament, Roemon Fields was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as a non-drafted free agent on August 27, 2013, nearly two years ago to the date. This “turning-point moment” in Fields’ life was only the beginning of his inspirational adventure.
The Seattle resident began his professional career and raised eyebrows immediately in the Northwest League (short season) with the Vancouver Canadians in 2014. In 72 games played, Fields collected 79 hits, 26 RBI, and stole an impressive 48 bases. It was no surprise to see him begin the 2015 season with the Dunedin Blue Jays (A+), before he got the call up to New Hampshire with the Fisher Cats (AA).
“He’s a man on a mission,” said Fisher Cats manager Bobby Meacham. “This is just a stopover, and he’s hopefully on his way to bigger and better things.”
Just recently, Fields spent a six-game stint with the Buffalo Bisons (AAA) before returning back to “the Granite State.” In that short stretch, the speedy centerfielder picked up 5 hits and 1 RBI in 23 at-bats.
“Performance on the field determines where these guys go,” Meacham concluded. “If you’re better than everyone else on the field, you move ahead of them, and that’s what (Fields) has done.”
When you combine Fields’ talent with his passion for the game, you get a motivated outfielder that shows up and gives it his all each and every day. His life story is movie gold. Roemon’s advice to rising players who face the same struggles as he did suggest that some of the answers to life’s bigger decisions lie in the hands of a higher power.
“Pursue (your dream) if you really want it,” said Fields. “If it doesn’t work out, then God has another plan for you.”
Patrick Cavanaugh
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