For the majority of his career, Prince Fielder was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. The prodigal son of former MLB slugger Cecil Fielder, what the heavy-set Prince lacked in athleticism and fielding ability–no pun intended–he made up for in sheer hitting prowess. Consider this. In the 2011 season, Fielder’s last with the Milwaukee Brewers, he was intentionally walked a league-leading 32 times. Thirty-two. Assuming he was rarely, if ever, intentionally walked more than once a game, that means in roughly 19% of the 162 games Fielder played in that season, there was a pitcher who said, ‘Nah.’ There was a pitcher who would rather give Fielder a free base than let him swing that violent, dangerous, season-leveling bat.
The numbers reflect it. Before going to Texas–where injuries frequently got the best of him–Fielder had only not knocked in at least 100 RBI in a full season twice in his 8-year career. Neither one of his totals in those two seasons fell below 80. Fielder was durable, powerful, and reliable, even at his weight.
Unfortunately, the injuries Prince has suffered in the last two seasons will likely be too much to recover from, even at the tender age of 32. Fielder is expected to announce his departure from baseball this week, and guess what? He would have finished with 319 home runs. His dad, Cecil Fielder, retired in 1999 with…319 home runs to his name.