Fielder’s Revival

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusmail
Facebooktwittergoogle_plus

In 2011, first baseman Prince Fielder was coming off of a typical season for him. Fielder batted .299 with 38 home runs and 120 runs batted in as he helped the Milwaukee Brewers win the National League Central along with making their only trip to the National League Championship Series. After the season Fielder would become an unrestricted free agent and he cashed in when he signed a nine-year, $214 million contract to join the Detroit Tigers. However after two productive seasons with the Tigers, Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers in 2014. But a bulging disc in Fielder’s neck would limit him to just 42 games last season. The Rangers overall record reflected Fielder’s absence as they only won 67 games and finished in the basement of the American League West. But after successful neck surgery and rehabbing, Fielder has rebounded in 2015 and the Rangers are reaping the benefits of it.

Prince Fielder

Fielder has already appeared in 47 games this season which is more than he was able to do for all of 2014. Fielder’s .368 batting average is currently leading the AL and his overall power numbers are returning as well. So far this season Fielder has 10 homers and 38 runs batted in on the season. Fielder has gone yard five times in his past six games as he has hit some mammoth shots recently at Yankee Stadium in New York City and Progressive Field in Cleveland. Fielder’s turn around at the plate has been a big part of the Rangers turnaround this season as they are 23-24 and they feel that they’ll be able to contend in the AL West this season.

When Fielder is on top of his game, he is one of the most revered power hitters in Major League Baseball. When Fielder left the Brewers, he was second on the franchise’s all-time list for home runs and his 50 homers in 2007 are still a single-season franchise record in Milwaukee. And when Fielder follows through with his vicious, uppercut type swing, he rarely gets cheated at the plate which means that the fans in Arlington, Texas will get their money’s worth when he is at the plate.

Fielder is a second generation Major League Baseball player as his father Cecil hit 319 career home runs. The young Fielder would sometime accompany his father to Tiger Stadium when his dad played for the Tigers, and the young Prince actually hit a baseball out of the old venue which was a sneak preview of what to come down the road for him.

In exchange for Fielder’s services, the Rangers had to part with longtime second baseman and fan favorite Ian Kinsler. At first it appeared as if the Tigers got the better part of the deal as Kinsler was terrific at the top of their lineup in 2014 in helping them once again reach the postseason, but Fielder is balancing things out this season.

Fielder is on pace this season to hit anywhere between 30-35 home runs along with driving in at least 100 runs and he has always played well when he was a part of power combination in the middle of a team’s lineup. With the Brewers, Fielder teamed with outfielder Ryan Braun to give Milwaukee their best offensive duo since the days of Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. As a member of the Tigers, Fielder protected infielder Miguel Cabrera which allowed him to hit for the Triple Crown in 2012. And now with outfielder Josh Hamilton returning to the Rangers, Fielder’s presence in the Texas lineup could help the former American League MVP get back on track. And just when the baseball world thought that Fielder had fallen off, he has returned with a bang in 2015.

Source: Baseball-reference.com

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusmail
Facebooktwittergoogle_plus
By | 2015-05-28T11:07:15+00:00 May 28th, 2015|Categories: Major League Baseball|Tags: , |0 Comments

About the Author:

Leave A Comment