Prince Fielder
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Prince Semien Fielder (born May 9, 1984) is an American former
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
and
designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...
, who played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers,
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
, and Texas Rangers. He was selected in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft by the Brewers out of
Eau Gallie High School Eau Gallie High School is located at 1400 Commodore Blvd in the Eau Gallie area of Melbourne, Florida. It is one of four public high schools in Melbourne, along with Melbourne High School, Palm Bay High School, and West Shore Junior/Senior High ...
in
Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...
, and spent the first seven years of his MLB career with the Brewers before signing with the Tigers, in January 2012. In November 2013, Fielder was traded to the Rangers, where he played the remainder of his career. Fielder is a six-time All-Star. He holds the Brewers' team record for
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s (HR) and
runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(RBI) in a season and is the youngest player in
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
(NL) history to hit 50 home runs in a season. He became the first Brewer to win the Home Run Derby, defeating
Nelson Cruz Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez Jr. (born July 1, 1980) is a Dominican-American professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas ...
in the final round of the 2009 derby. Fielder also won the 2012 derby, joining Ken Griffey Jr. and
Yoenis Céspedes Yoenis Céspedes Milanés (born October 18, 1985), nicknamed "La Potencia" (The Power), is a Cuban-born professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on March 28, 2012, for the Oakland Athletics, and has also p ...
(later joined by
Pete Alonso Peter Morgan Alonso (born December 7, 1994), nicknamed "Polar Bear" and "Big Meat Pete"," is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut during the 2019 season and br ...
) as the only players to win more than one derby and becoming the first player to win the Derby as both an
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
(AL) and NL All-Star. On August 10, 2016, Fielder announced that he would be unable to continue his playing career after undergoing a second neck surgery in three years. He was released by the Rangers on October 4, 2017. He ended his career with 319 home runs, the same number as his father,
Cecil Fielder Cecil Grant Fielder (; born September 21, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Fielder was a power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV ...
. Prince and Cecil Fielder are also the only father-son duo to each hit 50 MLB home runs in a season, and were the only father-son duo to hit 40 MLB home runs in a season until 2021, when
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Vladimir Guerrero Ramos Jr. (born March 16, 1999) is a Canadian-Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the son of former MLB player and Hall of Famer ...
joined his own father in achieving the feat.


Childhood

Fielder was initially right-handed, but at a very young age was converted to being a left-handed hitter by his father, baseball player
Cecil Fielder Cecil Grant Fielder (; born September 21, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Fielder was a power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV ...
. Fielder was a fixture around his father's teams' clubhouses growing up. He appeared with his father on '' MTV Rock N' Jock Softball''. When his father played for Detroit, Prince would sometimes come along for batting practice. Fielder hit a home run off Tigers third base coach
Terry Francona Terrence Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox fo ...
into the upper deck of Tiger Stadium as a 12-year-old in 1996. Fielder attended
Saint Edward's School Saint Edward's School is a coeducational independent college-preparatory school in Vero Beach, Florida, United States. It enrolls children grades pre-K through 12. History The school opened on September 22, 1965, to 31 students in grades five ...
in
Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...
, for two years, where he played
junior varsity Junior varsity (often called "JV") players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as any football, basketball, or baseball game), usually at the high school level–– and formerly at the collegiate level ...
baseball. Fielder spent his first three years of high school playing at Florida Air Academy in
Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...
. He then transferred to
Eau Gallie High School Eau Gallie High School is located at 1400 Commodore Blvd in the Eau Gallie area of Melbourne, Florida. It is one of four public high schools in Melbourne, along with Melbourne High School, Palm Bay High School, and West Shore Junior/Senior High ...
, located in the Eau Gallie neighborhood of Melbourne, to play baseball there his senior year (2002). He hit .524 with 13 doubles, 10 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 47 runs in his senior year. He was named by ''
Florida Today ''Florida Today'' is the major daily newspaper serving Brevard County, Florida. Al Neuharth of the Gannett corporation started the paper in 1966, and some of the things he did with this newspaper presaged what he would later do at USA Today. ...
'' as the All-
Space Coast The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is one of several "themed" coasts around Florida. All orbital launches from American soil carrying NASA astr ...
Player of the Year in 2002. Fielder committed to play
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for
Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
.


Professional career


Minor league baseball

The Milwaukee Brewers drafted Fielder in the first round, with the seventh overall selection, of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career in minor league baseball with the
Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitcher ...
of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. He was promoted to the
Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...
of the Class A
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
that season. Fielder spent the 2003 season with Beloit and was promoted to the
Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Mil ...
of the
Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...
Southern League for the 2004 season. Fielder began the 2005 season with the
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
of the
Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
.


Milwaukee Brewers (2005–2011)


2005

Fielder earned his first call-up to
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
on June 13, 2005. He served as the
designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...
for the Brewers during
interleague play Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. Pri ...
. With
Lyle Overbay Lyle Stefan Overbay (born January 28, 1977) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankee ...
serving as the Brewers' regular first baseman, Fielder was sent back down to the Sounds after the end of interleague play. Fielder was again called up to the Majors on August 17, 2005, and went on to finish the season with the Brewers, where he was used as a pinch-hitter. He was the sixth-youngest player in the league. On June 15, 2005, he collected his first major league hit, a double, off
Hideo Nomo is a Japanese former baseball pitcher who played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He achieved early success in his native country, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to . He then exploited a l ...
, and drove in his first big league run with his second hit of the night at Tampa Bay. Prince also hit his first home run on June 25, 2005.


2006

After the Brewers traded Overbay to the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
, Fielder became the Brewers' starting first baseman in 2006. He was an early favorite for
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
Rookie of the Year. Fielder did not get off to a great start in the 2006 regular season, going 0–9 with seven strikeouts. In his 12th at-bat, Fielder delivered a game-winning hit that drove home Geoff Jenkins for the winning run in the bottom of the 8th inning against the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. Fielder was named the National League's Rookie of the Month for April. With his 18th home run of the year, Fielder broke the Brewers' rookie home run record previously held by
Greg Vaughn Gregory Lamont Vaughn (born July 3, 1965) is an American former baseball left fielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1989–1996), San Diego Padres (1996–1998), Cincinnati Reds (1999), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–2002) and Colorado ...
. Fielder led all major league rookies with 28 homers in the 2006 season. On defense, he had the lowest zone rating among NL first basemen, .804.


2007

Fielder had a strong first half in 2007, earning a start at first base in the 2007 All-Star game over the previous two MVP winners, Ryan Howard (2006) and Albert Pujols (2005). On August 13, 2007, Fielder was featured on a magazine cover for the first time when he was featured on the August 13, 2007, issue of ''
ESPN The Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year i ...
''. On September 15, 2007, Fielder broke the Brewers franchise record for home runs in a season, hitting his 46th in a game against the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. The record was previously jointly held by
Richie Sexson Richmond Lockwood Sexson (born December 29, 1974), nicknamed "Big Sexy", is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for five teams from 1997 to 2008. He is also the field manager for the Windy City ThunderBolts in the ...
(twice) and
Gorman Thomas James Gorman Thomas III (born December 12, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder and right-handed hitter. Thomas played in the American League (AL) with the Milwaukee ...
. On September 25, Fielder became the youngest player ever to reach 50 home runs in a season, joining his estranged father in the exclusive club. Fielder stated that he hoped to surpass his father's total of 51 home runs in a season (1990) as a way of exorcising the demons that came with being the son of a prominent major-leaguer. "A lot of people said that's the only reason I got drafted... I don't mind people comparing me to him but I'm a completely different player. One day I want people to mention my name and not have to mention his," Fielder said. Earlier in the season, Cecil Fielder had told a magazine that it was his famous name that led to his son being such a highly-touted prospect. The younger Fielder also saw his contention in the 2007 NL MVP race as a way of proving his father wrong, but got little else from the rift but motivation saying, "You've got to look at who's saying it. Let's be honest. He's not really the brightest guy." Fielder ranked first in the National League in home runs (50) in his MVP-caliber 2007 season (and was, until the 2017 MLB season, the last player in the National League to hit 50 or more home runs in a single season, when
Giancarlo Stanton Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton (born November 8, 1989), formerly known as Mike Stanton, is an American professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2010 a ...
hit 59 home runs), was second in
slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
to teammate
Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and f ...
(.618), second in at-bats per home run (11.5) and OPS (1.013), third in RBIs (119) and extra-base hits (87), fourth in total bases (354) and hit by pitch (14), fifth in intentional walks (21) and sacrifice flies (8), seventh in runs (109) and times on base (269), and ninth in walks (90). In 2007, he led all major league first basemen in errors, with 14, and was last among eligible major league first basemen in range factor (8.49). Fielder earned the Milwaukee Brewers Team MVP award, the Player's Choice NL Outstanding Player award, 2007 Silver Slugger award, and was voted the National League's
Hank Aaron Award The Hank Aaron Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players selected as the top hitter in each league, as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It was introduced in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hank ...
winner.


2008

Unable to come up with an agreement for a long-term contract with the Brewers, Fielder and his agent,
Scott Boras Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saskat ...
, signed a one-year, $670,000 deal with the Brewers. Fielder was quoted saying, "I'm not happy about it at all", showing his disappointment in not being able to reach an agreement with the club. On June 19, Fielder hit the second inside-the-park home run of his career, against the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. On August 4, Fielder and teammate
Manny Parra Manuel Alex Parra (born October 30, 1982) is an American professional baseball player who is a free agent. He has played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. Early life Parra graduated from Ca ...
got into a scuffle in the dugout during a game against the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
in which Parra was the starting pitcher. They were having a brief conversation, which led to Parra throwing his jacket down and Fielder shoving him. Fielder had to be restrained by teammates
Ray Durham Ray Durham (born November 30, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He is a 14-year major league veteran owning a .277 lifetime batting average with 1,249 runs scored, 2,054 hits, 440 doubles, 79 triples, 192 home runs, 875 ...
,
Dave Bush David Thomas Bush (born November 9, 1979) is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher. He is currently the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). The right-hander played in MLB (–; ) for the Tor ...
, J. J. Hardy,
Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and f ...
, and pitching coach
Mike Maddux Michael Ausley Maddux (born August 27, 1961) is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher. He is the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for nine teams, over 15 seasons, and co ...
.
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
reported that night that the dispute was over Parra heading back to the clubhouse after being pulled from the game instead of staying in the dugout to watch the Brewers bat in the next inning. ''
Baseball Tonight ''Baseball Tonight'' (stylized as ''Baseball Tonight presented by Chevrolet'' for sponsorship reasons) is an American television program that airs on ESPN. The show, which covers the day's Major League Baseball action, has been on the air since ...
'' also reported that the exchange was started when Parra told Fielder to "get off his fat ass and play defense."
Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...
Ned Yost Edgar Frederick Yost III (; born August 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He played for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos. Early life Yost was born o ...
said reporters asking questions about the incident was as rude as "going over to the neighbors' house after they've been fighting and asking about it." On September 23, Fielder hit his second walk-off home run against the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
, helping the Brewers keep pace with the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in the NL Wild Card race. Fielder was named the National League Player of the Week for the week of September 15–21 after he batted .462, with 27 total bases, six doubles, 11 RBIs, .533 on-base percentage, and a 1.038 slugging percentage. Fielder ended the 2008 regular season with a .276 batting average, 34 home runs, 102 RBIs, 86 runs and 84 walks. The Brewers finished 90–72, earning the NL Wild Card on the final day of the regular season, their first postseason berth as a
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
club and their first since losing to the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in the
1982 World Series The 1982 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1982 Major League Baseball season, 1982 season. The 79th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National Leag ...
. They faced the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
and were eliminated in four. Fielder hit the Brewers' only home run of the series, in Game 4.


2009

After the 2008 season, Fielder was seeking an $8 million salary in 2009, while the Brewers filed for $6 million. On January 23, the Brewers and Fielder avoided arbitration and finalized a two-year $18 million contract. Fielder hit his first career
grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...
against Rafael Perez of the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
on June 15, 2009, at
Progressive Field {{Infobox stadium , name = Progressive Field , nickname = ''"The Jake"'' , logo_image = Progressive_Field_Logo.svg , logo_caption = , image = , caption = Progressive Fiel ...
. Fielder was one of four NL first basemen who made the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, joining starter Albert Pujols and fellow reservists Adrián González and Ryan Howard. Fielder won the 2009 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby in
St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. Fielder began the Derby with a
Rickie Weeks Rickie Darnell Weeks Jr. (born September 13, 1982) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays. H ...
bat, but quickly switched to one of
Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and f ...
's because it was longer and gave him more plate coverage. He made the finals with 17 home runs after the first two rounds, eliminating local favorites Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard. He then beat former Brewers teammate
Nelson Cruz Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez Jr. (born July 1, 1980) is a Dominican-American professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas ...
with six homers in the final round. His 23 long balls tied for the sixth-most in the Derby's history. He also hit the longest home run of the Derby at . On August 4, Fielder was involved in an incident with
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
relief pitcher
Guillermo Mota Guillermo Reynoso Mota (born July 25, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. In his career, he pitched for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, Cleveland Indians, New Yor ...
. With two outs in the ninth inning, Mota hit Fielder with a pitch on the leg, apparently in retaliation for Mota's teammate
Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, L ...
being hit in the hand by Brewers pitcher Chris Smith. Mota was ejected. After the 17–4 Dodgers victory, Fielder went to the Dodgers clubhouse in an effort to confront Mota. The Dodgers security guards stopped Fielder from entering, though the incident was captured by a television crew. Both Mota and Fielder were fined by Major League Baseball for their roles in the incident. Fielder had a good September. While playing the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
on September 6, Fielder hit his third career
walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will no ...
in the 12th inning. The Brewers' subsequent home plate celebration sparked a minor controversy due to its unusual style. Then, on September 19, Fielder set the Brewers' single-season record for RBIs at 127, beating
Cecil Cooper Cecil Celester Cooper (born December 20, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, manager and sports agent. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1971 to 1987 for the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee ...
's 1983 record of 126. He set this record during a game against the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
— the team Cooper was managing at the time. The record-breaking RBI was a sacrifice fly, scoring
Mike Cameron Michael Terrance Cameron (born January 8, 1973) is an American former professional Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, B ...
. He finished the season with 141 RBIs, which surpassed his father's career high of 133 in 1991. Fielder finished tied for first in the National League in RBIs with Ryan Howard, and second in home runs with 46. He is one of three players in Brewers franchise history to have 100 or more RBIs in three consecutive seasons, along with
Richie Sexson Richmond Lockwood Sexson (born December 29, 1974), nicknamed "Big Sexy", is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for five teams from 1997 to 2008. He is also the field manager for the Windy City ThunderBolts in the ...
(2001–03) and Ryan Braun (2008–10).


2011

On January 18, Fielder and the Brewers agreed on a one-year, $15.5 million contract. Fielder was named
MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
of the 82nd All Star Game, in which he hit a 3-run home run. Along with Fielder, Braun also hit 30 home runs on the season, marking the 4th time the duo each hit at least 30 home runs in a season. Only 6 other duos have done this in major league history. Fielder became one of three Brewers who have had four 100-RBI seasons, along with Cecil Cooper and Braun. On September 27 in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Fielder went 3-for-3 with three home runs and a walk, and 5 RBIs. It was his first career three-home run game. In 2011, Fielder batted .299, led the National League in
intentional walk In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by ''IBB'', is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the ...
s (32, a Brewers record), was second in the league in home runs (38), and was third in slugging percentage (.566). On defense, he led the majors in errors committed by a first baseman (15) and had the lowest
fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...
of all first basemen (.990). Through 2011, he had the second-highest career slugging percentage (.540) and OPS (.929) of any player in Brewers history, behind Braun, and was second in career home runs (230) to Robin Yount. Fielder came in third in the voting for the 2011
National League Most Valuable Player Award The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...
, behind winner and teammate
Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and f ...
and
Matt Kemp Matthew Ryan Kemp (born September 23, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He began his professional career in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2003, and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Dodgers fr ...
.


Detroit Tigers (2012–2013)


2012

Following the 2011 World Series, Fielder became a free agent. On January 26, 2012, Fielder agreed to a nine-year, $214 million contract with the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
to play first base and bat clean-up in the Tigers batting order. It was the largest contract in the history of the Tigers, surpassing
Miguel Cabrera José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since his debut in 2003 he has been a two-t ...
's contract of $185.3 million over eight years. The Tigers acquired Fielder to replace the bat of an injured Víctor Martínez, the everyday
designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...
in 2011. The acquisition of Fielder, who had only played
first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
in his career, required 2008–2011 first baseman Miguel Cabrera to move to third, which Cabrera was notably happy to do. On April 5, 2012, Fielder made his debut with the Tigers and singled in his first at bat. Fielder hit his first two home runs as a Tiger on April 7, 2012, in a 10–0 victory over the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
. In his first season in the American League, he was voted to the 2012 All-Star team as a starter. It is his fourth All-Star appearance overall. Fielder was also selected by American League captain,
Robinson Canó Robinson José Canó Mercedes (; born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Die ...
, to participate in the 2012 Home Run Derby. On July 9, 2012, Fielder became the 2012 Home Run Derby champion, hitting 12 home runs in the third and final round over
José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...
of the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. This is Fielder's second win in the derby, his first coming in 2009. Fielder became the first participant to win for both the National and American League, and joined Ken Griffey Jr. as the only two players to win multiple Derbies. Fielder finished the 2012 regular season with a career-best .313 batting average. He hit 30 home runs, giving him six straight seasons with at least 30 long balls, and drove in 108 runs for his fifth career 100-plus RBI season. He also had an on-base percentage of .412, his fourth straight season with an
on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
above .400. He played in all 162 games for Detroit, his third such season in his career, and he led the American League in being hit by pitches (17). Some in the sports media have given Fielder at least partial credit for teammate Cabrera winning the Triple Crown of batting in 2012. With Fielder hitting behind him in the Tiger order, Cabrera's walks declined from 108 the previous season to just 66, giving him more opportunities to hit home runs and drive in runs. Cabrera would later confirm in a June 2013 ''Sports Illustrated'' article: "You can see a difference. They pitch to me more...I see a lot of good pitches." The 2012 World Series was Fielder's first career trip to the World Series. He compiled only a .071 batting average (1-for-14) during the World Series as the Tigers were swept in four games at the hands of the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
. In Game 2 of the series, Fielder was hit on the shoulder by a pitch from Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner. After Delmon Young hit a double down the left-field line, Prince attempted to score. However, a relay throw from Gregor Blanco to Marco Scutaro to Buster Posey tagged Fielder out as he was sliding home. This became the first-ever 7-4-2 putout in a World Series.


2013

Fielder was named AL Player of the Week for April 8–14. He hit .632 during the week (12-for-19) with 11 RBIs and 22 total bases. He finished the month of April with a .301 batting average, 7 home runs, and 27 RBIs. On July 1, Fielder was voted in as a reserve infielder in the AL player balloting for the 2013 Major League All-Star Game. It was his fifth career All-Star selection. During the All-Star Game, he hit a lead-off triple in the ninth inning off of
Jason Grilli Jason Michael Grilli (born November 11, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los A ...
. He did not score but the American League still won the game 3–0. Fielder hit .279 during the 2013 regular season, and his 25 home runs was the lowest total in any of his eight full major league seasons until he hit only 23 in 2015. He did, however, drive in 106 runs, marking the sixth time he topped 100 in his career. Fielder also played all 162 games for the third straight season, and played in his 500th consecutive game on September 24. This followed a 327-game streak that was broken in September 2010, when he played for the Brewers. (He missed one game due to severe flu symptoms.) By the end of the 2013 season, he had played in 831 of his last 832 regular-season games. Fielder batted .278 in the ALDS against Oakland, registering 5 hits and no RBIs. In the 2013 ALCS he declined further, registering a .182 average with only 4 hits and no RBIs.


Texas Rangers (2014–2017)


2014

On November 20, 2013, Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers for second baseman
Ian Kinsler Ian Michael Kinsler ( he, איאן קינסלר; born June 22, 1982) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for ...
and $30 million. In June 2014 Fielder underwent season ending neck surgery. At the time of his mid-season departure, he was batting .247 with 3 home runs and 16 RBI in 42 games. Fielder's then league-leading streak of 547 consecutive games started was ended.


2015

Nearly halfway through the season Fielder led the AL in batting average and was selected as a reserve designated hitter for the
MLB All Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. It was Fielder's sixth appearance in the All-Star Game and his fourth selection in five seasons. He finished the 2015 season with a .305 batting average, 23 home runs, and 98 RBIs. He had to be very patient with his power, but he said "the way I'm hitting this year, I'm fine with it."


2016

On April 29, 2016, in a game against the
Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
in the bottom of the 6th inning, Fielder hit a sharp single through the shift to score
Rougned Odor Rougned Roberto Odor () (born February 3, 1994), nicknamed "Rougie", is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Balt ...
, making him and his father
Cecil Fielder Cecil Grant Fielder (; born September 21, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Fielder was a power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV ...
the 2nd father-son combo to both record 1,000 RBIs. On July 20, it was revealed that Fielder was diagnosed with C4-C5 herniations in his neck, putting his career in jeopardy. In a press conference on August 10, Fielder announced that he would not be able to continue playing professional baseball due to his injuries. In 89 games of 2016, Fielder finished his injury-shortened season with a .212 batting average, 16 doubles, 8 home runs, and 44 RBIs.


2017

On October 5, 2017, the Rangers released Fielder, citing financial considerations. Although Fielder was not completely retired at the point he was released, the Rangers decided to release him anyway.


Career statistics

In 1611 games over 12 seasons, Fielder posted a .283
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
(1645-for-5821) with 862 runs, 321 doubles, 10 triples, 319
home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
, 1028 RBI, 18 stolen bases, 847
bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...
, .382
on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
and .506
slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
. Defensively, he recorded a .992
fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...
playing every inning at first base. In 44 postseason games, he batted only .189 (31-for-164) with 13 runs, 5 doubles, 5 home runs, 12 RBI and 15 walks. Fielder was included on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame class of when it was announced on November 22, 2021, but after ballots were counted, he became ineligible for future balloting, due to receiving less than 5% of the total.


Personal life

Fielder was named after his grandfather. He married his wife Chanel in 2005 during the Triple-A All-Star break while playing for the
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
. They have two sons. Fielder filed for divorce in May 2013, but by March 2014, he and his wife had reconciled. They reside in Windermere, FL. Fielder has a tattoo on the left side of his neck that reads, "왕자", Korean for "Prince".


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders This is a list of the 300 Major League Baseball players who have hit the most home runs. In the sport of baseball, a home run is a hit in which the batter scores by circling all the bases and reaching home plate in one play, without the benefit ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders This is a list of Major League Baseball players who have compiled 1,000 runs batted in (RBIs). RBIs are usually accumulated when a batter in baseball enables a runner on base (including himself, in the case of a home run) to score as a result of ma ...


References


External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Fielder, Prince 1984 births African-American baseball players American expatriates in Japan American League All-Stars Baseball players from California Beloit Snappers players Detroit Tigers players Huntsville Stars players Living people Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVPs Major League Baseball first basemen Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players National League All-Stars National League home run champions National League RBI champions Ogden Raptors players People from Melbourne, Florida People from Ontario, California Peoria Javelinas players Silver Slugger Award winners Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California Texas Rangers players 21st-century African-American sportspeople People from Vero Beach, Florida 20th-century African-American people