After the 2011 Major League Baseball season The Detroit Tigers did not appear to be in the mix for free agent first baseman Prince Fielder. All-Star third baseman Miguel Cabrera was the main power source for The Tigers as he led Detroit to The American League Championship Series in 2011. Things changed after the season when utility man Victor Martinez suffered an ACL injury in his knee. Tigers general manager David Dombrowski sprang into action as he brought Fielder to The Tigers with a nine-year, $214 million deal. Fielder is no stranger to The Tigers organization as his father Cecil played for the team from 1990 to 1996. As a teenager Fielder famously hit a baseball out of Tiger Stadium in Detroit where he consistently hung out with his father.
Prior to coming to The Tigers, Fielder made a name for himself with The Milwaukee Brewers as his 230 homers with The Brewers are second in the franchise’s history. Fielder teamed with Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun from 2007 to 2011 which gave Milwaukee one of the best home run hitting combos in baseball. Braun and Fielder led The Brewers to the postseason twice which included 96 regular season wins in 2011 which was a franchise record.
Now Fielder is giving The Tigers that type of production as he is providing more than adequate protection for Cabrera.
Last season Cabrera became the first MLB player since Carl Yastrzemski to win win the Triple Crown as he led The American League in home runs (44), runs batted in (139), and batting average (.330). Lost in Cabrera’s production was Fielder’s first season in The AL as he belted 30 home runs along with 108 runs batted in while he obtained a .303 batting average. Fielder and Cabrera led The Tigers to The World Series for the first time since 2006, but they were swept by The San Francisco Giants.
In the first month of this season, Fielder and Cabrera have picked up right where they left off from last season. Fielder’s five homers lead the club and both men are currently sporting batting averages over .300. Cabrera is currently fourth in The American League at .361 while Fielder’s batting average checks in at .311.
Baseball has seen some terrific duos carry teams. The New York Yankees had Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in the 1960’s. The Boston Red Sox had Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz as the two helped The Red Sox win two World Series Championships in the 2000’s. Cabrera and Fielder are big enough that they can walk across the parking lot at Comerica Park in Detroit to Ford Field which is the home of The National Football League’s Detroit Lions and suit up to play some football. Fielder and Cabrera would fit in on the offensive line, but Dombrowski and Tigers manager Jim Leyland are happy that they both are playing baseball. Neither Fielder or Cabrera lit it up in The World Series which is a big reason why The Tigers were swept by The Giants. They have both used it as motivation as the have come out strong and these two big guys are extremely hungry to bring a World Series Championship to Motown.
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