Wilmer Fields

Who was Wilmer Fields?

Wilmer Leon Fields was an African American baseball player who was a household name in the Negro Leagues and other baseball circuits between the 1940s and 1950s.

Born in Manassas, Virginia, Fields has been considered one of the most consistent, reliable and versatile two-way players in the Negro League and also in Canada and several Latin American leagues, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. In most leagues he was a pitcher, but played at third base or outfield in games when he was not scheduled to pitch. His consistent batting and pitching skills helped him capture the Most Valuable Player award on many occasions throughout the course of his distinguished career.

Fields possessed a running fastball complemented by a curve, a slider and eventually a knuckler, and he had average control of his pitches. He was often referred to as ″Red″, ″Bill″, or ″Chinky″.