Relief pitcher Nate Field has no objections to being No. 2, but he has to get there first.
If Field can complete the organizational climb from the Colorado Springs Sky Sox to the Rockies, he’d join Mark Knudson as the only Denver natives to play for the Rockies.
Knudson played for the Rockies in their initial season in 1993, and Field is making a good case for himself with 15 saves for the Triple-A Sky Sox.
“It would be nice to be the second guy, but it also would be nice to get the opportunity,” Field said. “Nobody in this room wants to be here right now. Everybody wants to get back to the big leagues or get there for the first time. I was a junior in high school when the Rockies started. If I get up with the Rockies, it would be a bonus.”
Field was born in Denver and grew up in Littleton, where he played for Heritage High School.
After playing college baseball for Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kan., and Fort Hays State, Field originally signed with the Montreal Expos. He signed with the Rockies this year as a free agent after playing in an independent league and in 74 games over four seasons with the Kansas City Royals.
He’s making his mark with the Sky Sox as the closer, a role he took over when Bret Prinz was injured.
“You have to be throwing the ball pretty well to make the all-star team,” Sky Sox pitching coach Chuck Kniffin said.
Field’s drive to the Pacific Coast League’s All-Star Game was fueled by a strong performance from May 9 to June 14. In 14 appearances, Field collected 11 saves, including seven in a row. His 15 saves tie him for the league lead.
When the Rockies called up Manuel Corpas last week, Field was a candidate. But Corpas had the edge because of his overall performance this season as well as having a spot on the Rockies’ 40-man roster.
“Of course there’s going to be disappointments in this game,” Field said. “But it’s a crazy game and hopefully my opportunity will come. You can’t take anything away from Corpas. He was dominant in Double-A and he did a good job here.”
Corpas came into prominence this season, stepping into the closer’s job at Tulsa and collecting 19 saves. Jim Miller, with 34 saves the year before at Modesto and Tulsa, was to be the closer but was injured.
Corpas, who signed with the Rockies in 1999 when he was 16, made his mark in the past six seasons with his strikeout-to-walks ratio. He had 237 strikeouts and only 84 walks in 289 innings.
“Maybe Jose Mesa will take him under his wing as he did with Ramon Ramirez,” Kniffin said.
Kniffin has work cut out for Scott Dohmann and David Cortes, two relievers sent down from the Rockies.
“They both have major-league stuff,” Kniffin said. “Maybe they didn’t get the opportunity to pitch as much as they needed. They’re going to get work here.”
Dohmann looks at his time in Triple-A with some positive thoughts. Kniffin hopes to get him to pitch to both sides of the plate and develop more movement on his fastball.
As for the humidor in Coors Field, Dohmann doesn’t expect to miss it with the Sky Sox.
“We don’t need a humidor to succeed up there,” Dohmann said. “The technology is better. The advance scouting is better. I don’t think you’d hear anyone complaining if we didn’t have it.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS
(Through Thursday)
HITTING: (62 games) Chris Iannetta, Tulsa/Colorado Springs, .347; Carlos Rivera, Colorado Springs, .340.
RUNS: Cole Garner, Asheville, 74; Joe Koshansky, Tulsa, 60.
HITS: Matt Miller, Modesto, 119; Koshansky, Tulsa, 104.
DOUBLES: Seth Smith, Tulsa, 33; Chris Nelson, Asheville, 30.
TRIPLES: Jonathan Herrera, Modesto, 7; Justin Nelson, Modesto, 6.
HOME RUNS: Koshansky, Tulsa, 24; Iannetta, Tulsa/Colorado Springs, 13; Garner, Asheville, 13.
RBIs: Miller, Modesto, 77; Koshansky, Tulsa, 76.
STOLEN BASES: Eric Young Jr., Asheville, 64; Dexter Fowler, Asheville, 31.
PITCHING VICTORIES: Ubaldo Jimenez, Tulsa/Colorado Springs, 9; Alan Johnson, Asheville, 9.
LOSSES: Ryan Mattheus, Modesto, 9; Zachary Simons, Asheville, 9.
SAVES: Nate Field, Colo. Springs, 15; Scott Beerer, Modesto, 11.
INNINGS: Marc Kaiser, Tulsa, 124; Johnson, Asheville, 113.
WALKS: Franklin Morales, Modesto, 58; (three pitchers with 52).
STRIKEOUTS: Samuel Deduno, Modesto, 119; Morales, Modesto, 107.
ERA: (starters) Brandon Durden, Asheville, 3.21; Jimenez, Tulsa/Colorado Springs, 3.49; (relievers) Darren Clarke, Modesto, 1.35; David Patton, Asheville, 1.75.
