Fields ready to accept any news he gets
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The White Sox' charter flight is pulling out Thursday, and Josh Fields hopes he's on board.
With spring training winding down, Fields still is waiting to hear where he's going to be when the regular season starts.
If Joe Crede is not traded -- and there are zero indications a deal is in the works -- Fields is almost certain to be optioned to Class AAA Charlotte.
Filling in for the injured Crede last season, Fields batted .244 and had 23 home runs and 67 RBI in only 100 games.
"It's hard, you know," Fields said of the possible demotion. "But it would be a little bit different if I came in and it was two young guys battling it out for a job. I'm up against a guy (Crede) that won the Silver Slugger award and is pretty much defined as a Gold Glove winner.
"If they decide I have to go to Charlotte, it will be a little better accepted rather than being on an even playing field with a younger guy. It will be hard regardless. I feel like I put myself in a good position and hopefully made the decision a little bit tougher on the team. They have a tough decision to make. I think we are all waiting."
After going 1-for-3 Sunday, Fields is batting .268 in the Cactus League. Crede is batting .159.
He has better numbers than Crede this spring, but Fields is trying not to read too much into raw statistics. Actually, the 25-year-old third baseman is trying not to read too much into anything.
"I'm preparing to play in Chicago and until they come to me and say: 'Hey, you are going back to Charlotte,' I'm not going to think about what if I have to go back there and face Triple-A pitchers," Fields said. "I just haven't thought about that."
Both White Sox general manager Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen have said they are not looking forward to possibly telling Fields he's going back to the minors.
"It makes me feel good," Fields said. "I feel good about what I did last year and I feel good about what I've done so far this spring. The positive strides that I've made defensively and my hitting is starting to come around at the end, so I'll feel good regardless.
"Ultimately, it's their decision and I have to live with it. Wherever they decided they are going, I'll have to go."
If he does land back in Charlotte, don't expect Fields to pout or demand a trade.
"If I have to go back to Triple-A, then I will have to go down and hit and work on my defense," he said. "If I go down and stink for the first month, they might be like, 'OK, he needs to stay down a little longer.' "
Guillen said the roster could be finalized by Wednesday.
"If you ask me about it, my team is set in my mind," Guillen said. "But in the meanwhile you have to go through the GM and the organization, through my coaching staff. Maybe my coaching staff has different ideas or better ideas. We have to all be together about this."