Article: Black History Month: Prince Fielder's Brewers Legacy

[JasonWang7517]

In the early days of the franchise, the Milwaukee Brewers had three Black stars in their lineup, in Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie, and George Scott. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, though, their best players were White. In the mid-2000s, Prince Fielder led a revival of Black excellence for the Crew.

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

 

Prince Fielder’s baseball career is remembered for many things. Some remember him as a lighthearted player with a great sense of humor, eating fans’ nachos after chasing foul balls and commemorating walk-off home runs with his signature “bowling ball” celebration. Some remember him as a powerful presence at the plate, hitting 50 home runs in 2007 at the age of just 23 and becoming the youngest player ever to do so. Some remember him as a man tasked with succeeding his dad’s major-league legacy, becoming an iconic father-son duo with the likes of the Guerreros and Griffeys. If you’re a Brewers fan, you likely remember Fielder as a young, electric first baseman that was a glimmer of hope for the franchise. 

After four years of mauling minor-league pitchers, Fielder received his call-up in June 2005. He adapted quickly to the major leagues, placing seventh in Rookie of the Year voting in 2006. In his second full season in 2007, he had an OPS of 1.013; won his first Silver Slugger; received his first All-Star nod; was selected as the NL Hank Aaron Award winner; and came third in MVP voting. While it was an immensely impressive season, it wasn’t enough to break the Brewers' years-long playoff drought. 

The following season would be somewhat of a down year for Fielder as an individual, marred by a failure to negotiate a long-term deal with the Brewers. The one-year, $670,000 deal he ended up signing disappointed Fielder (to say the least), and it may have had a negative impact on his performance. There was also an in-game altercation with teammate Manny Parra, caused by Prince’s less-than-stellar defensive efforts. Of course, for a hitter of his talents, a “down year” means a slash line of .276/.372/.507, an OPS+ of 130 and helping his team return to the playoffs after a 26-year absence. While the Brewers fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, fans could tell that a bright future lay ahead for the young star, and it would seem that team management agreed.

In 2009, Fielder and the Brewers were finally able to agree on a two-year, $18-million contract. While not quite the deal that he and superstar agent Scott Boras had been seeking, it was far better than the one he had signed the previous year. As if somehow motivated to earn every dollar of his new contract, Prince had the best offensive year of his career. With an OPS of 1.014 across all 162 games, he also led all major leagues in RBIs with 141 and hit 46 home runs, setting a new Brewers single-season record for RBIs in the process. 

He got another All-Star nod and some more MVP votes, but still wasn’t able to carry his team into October. Despite his Herculean efforts, the Brewers ended the season just below .500 and out of playoff contention, unable to repeat their playoff trip. The next year was more of the same, a relative down year for Fielder and another missed playoff berth for the Brewers. 

Then came 2011. Although he and the team were unable to work out a long-term contract, Fielder had another hallmark year. He hit .299, with an on-base percentage of .415 and a .566 slugging average. He played in all 162 games again. He led all major-league hitters in intentional walks with 32. He won his second Silver Slugger, earned a third All-Star nomination, and came third in MVP voting for a second time. He became one of three Brewers to have four 100-RBI seasons. He had a three-home-run game.  But these individual achievements are not the only things that made this season so special. 

That 2011 campaign finally saw the Brewers put everything together. With 96 wins and a first-place finish in the NL Central, it seemed like it was finally their year. They beat the Diamondbacks in a nail-biting, five-game Division Series, and faced the St. Louis Cardinals for the National League pennant.

Game 1 was held in Brewers territory, a perfect way to kick off a potential journey back to the World Series. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the Brewers down 5-4, Fielder received an early Christmas gift, in the form of a 87-mph meatball from Jaime Garcia. With a swing and a crack, Prince launched a go-ahead two-run homer, rounding the bases to raucous cheers and giving his team the momentum they needed to win the first game of the series. 

Fielder hit exceptionally well in the 2011 NLCS, recording a series OPS of .960 to go along with his highlight-reel home run, but all good things must come to an end. The Cardinals won the series and subsequently the World Series, and his fifth-inning long ball would be Fielder's last great moment in Milwaukee. He became a free agent the following offseason and finally received the lucrative contract he felt he had long deserved, a nine-year, $214-million commitment from the Detroit Tigers.

Fielder had a few more productive years before retiring at just 32. Despite being a consistent starter for most of his career, he began to have serious neck issues in 2014, and surgery ended his consecutive-game streak at 547. It seemed like he had made a full recovery in 2015, appearing in 158 games for the Texas Rangers, but 2016 would be his final year in the big leagues. It was revealed that Prince had developed herniations in his neck, severely hampering his ability to play baseball and effectively forcing him to announce his retirement.

So many things about Fielder’s career seem too short. It feels like his time with the Brewers, his postseason runs, and his overall career were taken from us before we were ready. Nonetheless, he was here for a good time, not a long time. While we may not see a first baseman hit 50 home runs in a single season or don the sunglasses of a random fan ever again, it’s all the more reason to look back and appreciate the truly novel career of Prince Fielder. 

 

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