On the final day of the 2021 MLB Draft, Texas Southern pitcher Kamron Fields had his name called.
Fields was selected in the 20th round Tuesday night by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Fields, who spent his first three years at Texas before transferring, went 4-6 with a 5.03 ERA and 79 strikeouts over 68 innings for Texas Southern this past season.
Also read: North Carolina Central hurler Austin Vernon taken by Tampa Bay in MLB Draft
Professional scouts were impressed by his upper-90s fastball that tops out at as high as 95 mph.
“It’s hard to talk about Kam as a player because when I think of it, it’s more of what he meant to the program as it was one of the most feel-good stories in college baseball to me this year,” said Texas Southern head coach Michael Robertson. “Kam is a born leader and that was told to me by people in Austin at UT. He came to TSU and lived up those expectations and more.”
Fields is the first Tigers’ player drafted since Lindon Bond was taken in the 50th round by the Washington Nationals in 2007.
“In his eyes, he made Texas Southern bigger than the University of Texas,” said Robertson. “We didn’t have a lot of time to spend with him because of starting and stopping. During the time he spent at TSU, he did more for me than I could ever do for him. He made me a better person and coach. He’s a natural leader.”
