Prince Fielder

[7] Fielder attended Saint Edward's School in Vero Beach, Florida, for two years, where he played junior varsity baseball.However, with Lyle Overbay serving as the Brewers' regular first baseman, Fielder was sent back down to the Sounds shortly after the end of interleague play.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.[13] 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).[14] 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.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.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.Fielder had to be restrained by teammates Ray Durham, Dave Bush, J. J. Hardy, Ryan Braun, and pitching coach Mike Maddux.ESPN 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 also reported that the exchange was started when Parra told Fielder to "get off his fat ass and play defense."On September 23, Fielder hit his second walk-off home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates, helping the Brewers keep pace with the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card race.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 club and their first since losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1982 World Series.[20] On June 15, 2009, Fielder hit his first career grand slam at Progressive Field against Rafael Perez of the Cleveland Indians .[21] 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 began the Derby with a Rickie Weeks bat, but quickly switched to one of Ryan Braun's because it was longer and gave him more plate coverage.[22] He made the finals with 17 home runs after the first two rounds, eliminating local favorites Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard.[24] On August 4, Fielder was involved in an incident with Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Guillermo Mota.While playing the San Francisco Giants on September 6, Fielder hit his third career walk-off home run in the 12th inning.[37] Fielder came in third in the voting for the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player Award, behind winner and teammate Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp.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.However, a relay throw from Gregor Blanco to Marco Scutaro to Buster Posey tagged Fielder out as he was sliding home.[50] On July 1, Fielder was voted in as a reserve infielder in the AL player balloting for the 2013 Major League All-Star Game.[57] 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 in Cincinnati.[38] He finished the 2015 season with a .305 batting average, 23 home runs, and 98 RBIs, and was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year.On October 5, 2017, after negotiating a settlement with the insurance company covering his contract, the Rangers released Fielder to free up his spot on the 40-Man roster.