Bruce Alan Fields (born October 6, 1960) is an American former professional baseball
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
and the former hitting coach of the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB). He played during three seasons in MLB for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
and
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
.
Career
Fields was drafted by the Tigers in the 7th round of the
1978 MLB draft
In 1978, four American baseball players were promoted from amateur baseball to the Major League Baseball, major leagues, including Arizona State Sun Devils baseball, Arizona State University third baseman Bob Horner, who was selected number one o ...
. He played his first professional season with their Rookie league
Bristol Tigers
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...
in 1978, and split his last season between the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
' Triple-A club, the
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...
, and the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
' Triple-A team, the
Syracuse Chiefs
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
, in 1991.
From 1997 through 2000, Fields was
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
of the Class A
West Michigan Whitecaps
The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark. ...
, leading them in 2000 to the league's best record and winning the
Midwest League Manager of the Year Award twice (1997 and 2000). He managed the Triple-A
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
for two seasons, before serving as hitting coach for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
from 2003 to 2005. Fields took over as hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians on June 19, 2011.
Personal life
Fields is the father of Detroit Tiger
Daniel Fields
Daniel L. Fields (born January 23, 1991) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played one game in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers in 2015.
He is the first player since Steve Kuczek in 1949 to hit a doubl ...
, who played in his first major league game on June 4, 2015, against the Oakland Athletics. Fields' older son, Aaron, a former minor league prospect in the Cleveland Indians' system, was in attendance.
Fields was a basketball teammate of
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...
at
Everett High School (Michigan)
Everett High School is a public high school located on the south side of Lansing, Michigan.
Athletics
Everett's sports teams are known as the Vikings, known for their rivalry with the Big Reds of JW Sexton High School, and were Class A State C ...
in
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...
, starting on the school's 1977 Class A
Michigan High School Athletic Association
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Unlike ma ...
championship team.
External links
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
1960 births
Living people
African-American baseball coaches
African-American baseball managers
African-American baseball players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball coaches from Ohio
Baseball players from Cleveland
Birmingham Barons players
Bristol Tigers players
Calgary Cannons players
Cleveland Indians coaches
Detroit Tigers coaches
Detroit Tigers players
Lakeland Tigers players
Macon Peaches players
Major League Baseball hitting coaches
Major League Baseball outfielders
Nashville Sounds players
Richmond Braves players
San Jose Bees players
Seattle Mariners players
Syracuse Chiefs players
Tacoma Tigers players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Toledo Mud Hens managers
Toledo Mud Hens players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople
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