Watch Former Ohio State Quarterback Justin Fields Hit Home Runs At Wrigley Field

Fields was considered one of the country's best shortstops coming out of high school.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Jun 9, 2022 3:14 PM EDT

In this story:

Although he hasn’t played since high school, former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields showed why he was also a highly sought-after baseball prospect during the Chicago Bears’ tour of Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon.

Fields, who played shortstop at Harrison High School in Georgia and was considered the No. 327 overall prospect in the class of 2018, took batting practice at the Friendly Confines and crushed several home runs over the left-field wall, which ranges from 355 down the line to 400 in center.

After transferring to Ohio State from Georgia ahead of the 2019 season, Fields considered suiting up for the Buckeyes’ baseball team. He ultimately decided to focus solely on football, which was the correct decision since he ended up being a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Fields isn’t the only NFL starting quarterback with a baseball background, though, as the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray was a first-round pick of the Oakland Athletics. Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) and Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) were also drafted by the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers and Montreal Expos, respectively.

That said, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day believes the body movements required to play baseball at a high level helped Fields development on the football field.

“Any type of rotational sport, I think, helps with sequencing and timing,” Day told The Athletic in 2020. “(Justin) has played some rotational sports, and I think that really helps him with understanding how that works. It’s not just having a strong arm. That has nothing to do with anything. It’s the timing with which you’re able to snap your hips and deliver the ball. That’s something that I think makes sense to him naturally.”

Fields’ rookie season in the NFL had its share of ups and downs, as he threw for 1,870 yards and seven touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 12 games, including 10 starts, while playing behind a bad offensive line. He’s received a considerable amount of praise for his work this offseason, though, and is expected to take a step forward in Year 2 under new head coach Matt Eberflus.

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