Garrett Atkins, Josh Fields, Andy Marte, and Steve Pearce are all competing for spots on the major league roster as both a right-handed bat off the bench and an infield utility player, but they can’t all make it. Someone or someones are going to end up in Indianapolis, competing with Harrison for time at third base.
Garrett Atkins — R/R, 6′ 3″, 210 lb
Atkins is a 31-year-old, who was drafted by the Rockies in the 5th round in 2000. He reached the majors first in 2003, and from 2006 – 09 played the whole season with the Rockies. He hit better at Coors Field (not surprising), but even that dropped off in the 2009 season, when he hit .226. He played in 44 games for the Orioles in 2010, hitting .214 with just one homer and 9 RBI. Atkins played mostly at third base, but also has played first.
Josh Fields — R/R, 6′ 1″, 240 lb
Fields was the White Sox first round pick in 2004. He spent parts of the 2006 – 09 seasons with the White Sox, but also spent a lot of those seasons at the AAA level. When with the Sox, he hit a combined .229, with 31 homers and 101 RBI. He was traded to the Royals’ organization for the 2010 season, but only played a total of 27 games, including 13 at the major league level, because of hip surgery. In those 13 MLB games, he hit .306 with 3 homers and 6 RBI. Now, at age 28, Fields is competing for the same utility/bench spot. He’s played mostly at third base, with just a few games at first and in left field.
Andy Marte — R/R, 6′ 1″, 205 lb
The 27-year-old Dominican native started his career in the Braves’ organization, then was traded and ended up in the Cleveland Indians’ organization. He also split 5 seasons between the major league team and the minors, and missed some time due to injuries. At the major league level, he’s hit .218 in 301 games, with 20 homers and 96 RBI. Marte has played most of his games at third, with some at first. He could be the best defensive third baseman among these three.
