Mack: - Good morning folks. Today, we're talking with infield prospect, Robbie Shields. Hey Robbie, are you home or doing instruction ball?
Shields: - I'm in the Instructional League now.
Mack: - Robbie, let's start from the beginning... You were the Mets' 3rd round pick in the 2009 draft, coming out of Florida Southern College with some serious creds. Tell us about that magical day... .
Shields: - It was a day I had always dreamed about. There is no way to explain all the emotions I had throughout that entire day, because I had no idea where I was going to get drafted.
Mack: - Wait a minute. The Mets drafted you in the third round and you had no idea you were going to be drafted? .
Shields: - Well, the draft is weird, so I never knew for sure where I was going to go. I was hoping to go the first day and fortunately I did .
Mack: - Robbie, all I remember is many of the draft pundits liked the pick. And then 2009 happened. You wanna explain what last year was like or should I :) .
Shields: - Well, I think everyone knows what kind of year I had last year, which was not a good year at all. but the way I look at it is it was kind of a good thing. It really made me realize that I have a lot of work to do to get to where I want to go. I faced a lot of adversity last year and I learned a lot from it. and Ii think it helped me a lot get through this year.
Mack: - Hey, before we get to this past season, let's go back to being a 3rd rounder... what was the first thing you bought with the signing bonus? .
Shields: - The first thing Ii bought was a set of golf clubs. Other then baseball, I wouldn't rather be doing anything then playing golf with my buddies .
Mack: - For the record... 80% say "new truck" :) You were TJS, right? Robbie, things came back together this past season for Savannah... you went .290/.331/.457/.788 in 162-AB and, word I'm getting, you're in line for the starting SS gig at Lucy in the spring. Do you feel you have worked yourself 100% back? .
Shields: - Yes I had Tommy John surgery, which feels great now. I felt really comfortable this year once I came back from surgery. I would say yes i feel 100% back even though my arm strength is back all the way yet. but I do feel great .
Mack: - Last question Robbie... here's the way my board looks... regarding shortstop, I've got you at St. Lucie in 2011, with Wilmer Flores moving on to Binghamton... however, we all expect Flores to start being moved off of this position, which gives you a straight path to Queens by, oh, the 2013 season. Now, I'm not stupid enough to think you're going to comment on my pipe dream, but tell us this... what do you have planned in the off-season to make your dreams... and mine... come true? .
Shields: - Well, I plan to take a couple weeks off to let my body recover and just relax. After those couple of weeks. I am going to start slowly getting ready for next season. I plan on keeping the work load light for a bit but, come late December, I will be picking up the work load to get ready for the season. I have a lot to work on this off season but I am ready for it .
Mack: - Well, have a great off season and I'll look you up on the back fields in March.
Old Shields stuff:
Rob Shields – Bats/Throws: R/R Position: IF Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 200 Hometown: Dade City, FL Previous School: Pasco HS Eligibility: Jr. Major: Finance
AS A SOPHOMORE (2008): HONORS - SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll ... second-team All-SSC ... started all 50 games at shortstop ... led team in hits (69) ... third on team in batting average (.348) ... tied for third in home runs (9) ... fourth in RBI (36) ... second in doubles (15) ... led team in multi-hit games (22) ... third in multi-RBI games (10) ... had team's second-longest hitting streak of the season (14 games, 2/8 through 3/5) ... in three-game sweep of West Florida on 2/8-9, went 5-13 with 5 RBI, 4 runs, 2 doubles and a home run ... went 7-16 with 5 RBI, 3 runs, 2 doubles, a triple and a home run vs. Nova Southeastern on 2/22-24 ... went 7-12 with 5 RBI, 3 runs, 3 doubles and a home run vs. Rollins on 3/28-30 ... in three-game sweep of Eckerd on 4/11-12, went 10-16 with 5 RBI, 8 runs, 2 home runs and a double ... went 6-13 with 3 RBI, 4 runs and 2 doubles vs. Lynn on 4/25-26 ... had multi-hit games in 12 of the last 18 ... hit .442 (23-52) over last 12 games of season.
SS - Florida Southern… 6-0, 200, R/R… junior… 2008: led team in hits, .348, 9 HR, 36 RBIs… injured wrist in Cape Cod League this past summer… ability to hit high for average… great bat speed… limited defensively.
From: - http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewAmateurPlayerProfile.do?playerId=884&draftId=7 - Shields could ascend up draft boards next spring much like Gordon Beckham did during the spring of 2008 with a strong junior campaign. He, like Beckham the year before, enjoyed a fine summer on the Cape this past year, although his time was cut short when he injured his wrist sliding into a base. With very good bat speed and solid offensive tools across the board, Shields has the talent to be a game-changing infielder, with the ability to hit for a high average and power while also having good enough wheels to be a threat on the basepaths. His bat speed comes from very strong hands, wrists and forearms, and he knows how to loft balls to give him double-digit home run potential. Defensively he doesn't have ideal range at the shortstop position, as many feel he may have to move to either 2B or 3B down the road, but he has plenty of arm strength to play any infield position. He does run well and shows good overall baseball instincts. Shields has posted solid numbers since stepping onto campus, including his two summer stints (he was named one of the top prospects in the Clark-Griffith League after his freshman year), and has started at Florida Southern from day one. He is poised for a big junior year, as more and more people will become familiar with his name between now and next June.
From: - http://www.orkut.com/ - Robbie Shields, shortstop: Florida Southern - His draft stock has suffered a similar problem to that of D.J. LeMahieu, although far less severe. Scouts don't think Shields will stick at shortstop, and his bat has not lived up to expectations this spring, very similar to LeMahieu. This past summer, Shields grabbed teams' attention with a strong, albeit short, stint in the Cape Cod League, hitting .429 before injuring his wrist. This spring he has not hit for much power, but his solid approach at the plate, combined with a quick line drive swing still appeals to a number of teams. His future position could be second base as he possesses the hands and footwork, but he does stand the chance of growing out of it, forcing a move to third. It's possible that Shields' wrist injury hurt him at the plate this year, but the general opinion is that he won't be a big power guy anyway. He could go as early as the third.
9.6.09 - http://braves.scout.com/a.z?s=248&p=2&c=862955&ssf=1& ; - Robbie Shields: Shields emerged as a candidate for the first or supplemental first round of the draft with a strong showing at the Cape Cod League last summer, where he flashed good speed and power before injuring his wrist on a slide. He hasn’t showed any ill-affects from that summer injury. In 49 games thus far this season for Florida Southern, Shields is batting .351 with five homers, 34 RBIs and a .459 OBP. Shields has a similar build to A’s 2008 draft pick Dusty Coleman and a similar skill-set. Shields has above-average power for a shortstop, good plate coverage and decent speed. He may have to move off of shortstop to second or third base in the pros, but he has the bat to play at either of those positions. Shields may be hurt by the fact that he doesn’t play in a big Division I conference, but he did show he could hang with the big boys in the Cape this summer, which may alleviate some of those concerns. - Comparison- Aaron Hill
6-28-10: - Shields hit his first home run on Sunday and continues to fight back from last year’s TJS He was a big time prospect, as you will read below, but is way behind in his development. He’s playing DH right now and is playing GCL ball at 22-years old.
7-13-10: - Shields was a hot-shot prospect before he had to go under the knight for TJS… he quietly has returned this year, starting out with the GCL Mets and, frankly, he’s really heating up, batting leadoff and playing shortstop. On Monday, Shields went 3-4, scored one run, and knocked in three runs. He finished the day with a seasonal .293 BA… this includes going 7-12 in the last three games.
7-25-10: - Shields was transferred from being a rehabbing SS for GCL, to a part time SS for Lucy and now a full time SS for the Sand Gnats. The ex-prospect needs to play every day to get back his strength and he’ll get that opportunity in Savannah. In the pecking order, he’s currently behind Wilmer Flores. Wilfredo Tovar, and Jordany Valedespin in development.
Sept 2010 from: - http://www.nyfuturestars.com/userblurb.php?item=2026 - He doesn’t quite have the offensive upside of Reese Havens but he possesses many of the same positive attributes. In college, Robbie, was a solid defensive shortstop with a strong throwing arm but due to his slightly limited range, he might be a better fit at 2nd base. He also has the type of sound fundamentals and arm strength to handle third base which could make him valuable as a possible utility player down the road. Offensively, he has a good chance to be an average to slightly above average hitting 2nd basemen. He displays solid offensive tools across the board with potential 12-15 hr pop and 10-12 sb potential. He has the potential to hit for a good average with his solid bat speed and line drive hitting stroke but might need to learn to be more selective at the plate. He is someone who has been praised for being a smart kid with good leadership qualities. This season he has come back from successful TJ Surgery and has displayed some of his upside potential in Savannah by coming on strong at the end of the year. He has the potential to have a very strong break out year next season.
10-7-10 - 2011 Forecast: - Hopefully, we won't have another Shawn Bowman on our hands here. Shields is a bonefide prospect who has fell down the pecking order due to a serson ending injury. No sweat. He got right back on the horse last season for Savannah, and a good year in 2011 at Lucy will get the writers writing about him again.
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