fielder

Etymology 1

From Middle English feldere (“one who works in the field; rustic”), from Old English feldeware (“field-dweller”), equivalent to field + -er. The baseball sense is from 1832.

noun

1. A dog trained in pursuit of game in the field.
2. (baseball, softball) A defensive player in the field.
3. (obsolete) A fieldworker.

Etymology 2

From field (verb) + -er.

noun

1. Agent noun of field: One who fields anything.
   And today, with our bewilderingly various profusion of gurus and therapists: never before have we had so many self-proffering fielders of the question. Although we are adept at asking questions, we are not always so good at hearing answers. 2006, Andrew Nugent, The Slow-release Miracle: A Spirituality for a Lifetime, page 4
2. (cricket) A player of the fielding side, whose task is to gather the ball after the batsman has hit it, to catch the batsman out, or to prevent him from scoring.