Josh Fields caught White Sox fever at an early age.

 

"When I was a little kid and started playing video games, that's when 'Big Hurt Baseball' came out and Big Hurt shoes were also popular," Fields said. "I've always been a White Sox fan."

 

Now Fields will get the chance of a lifetime after the Sox selected the third baseman out of Oklahoma State University with their first-round pick (18th overall) in Monday's Major League Baseball first-year player draft.

 

"It's a dream come true to be taken where I was and to have the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream," he said.

 

Fields, 21, batted .362 (88-for-243) with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 62 games during his junior season. He had 21 doubles and scored 54 runs while leading his team to a 38-24 record and a berth in the NCAA regionals.

 

"He has a chance to be an impact player, a 3-4-5 type hitter down the road," said Duane Shaffer, White Sox senior director of player personnel. "He drives the ball the other way, drives it in the gaps. He has a chance to hit for both (power and average)."

 

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder hit .364 (211-for-579) with 25 home runs and 132 RBI in three seasons at Oklahoma State. He also earned three letters as OSU's quarterback, passing for 2,494 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2003 and led the Cowboys to a 9-4 mark.

 

He owns the school record for most career touchdown passes (55) and set a Cotton Bowl record with 307 passing yards against Ole Miss in January.

 

He said while he will miss his football teammates, there is a part of the game he surely won't miss.

 

"If I was a catcher I might be telling you I like getting hit," he said. "I'm not necessarily excited to leave football, but I am excited I won't have to take hits from all those big guys."

 

The White Sox had six of the first 69 selections on Monday and made 22 picks. Of those, 14 were pitchers and five were left-handed.

 

"Those (lefties) are a great commodity for us to get our hands on," Shaffer said.

Sounds like a great pick. I've just stopped being excited about draft picks. Only a couple of these guys will ever play in the big leagues and maybe one will play for the Sox. Odds are someone else drafted our next big star (Maggs, E-Lo, etc.)

Josh Fields caught White Sox fever at an early age.

 

"When I was a little kid and started playing video games, that's when 'Big Hurt Baseball' came out and Big Hurt shoes were also popular," Fields said. "I've always been a White Sox fan."