Prince Fielder
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| Milwaukee Brewers — No. 28 | |
| First base | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
|---|---|
| June 13, 2005 for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
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| Hits | 171 |
| Home Runs | 30 |
| Batting Average | .272 |
| Former teams | |
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Prince Semien Fielder (b. May 9, 1984, Ontario, California) is a first baseman selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida. Fielder, son of former major leaguer Cecil Fielder, and is currently the starting first baseman for the Brewers.
Fielder was once the spokesperson along with his father for the McDonalds triple cheeseburger, and appeared with his father on MTV's Rock 'n Jock.
After his father gambled away some of his major league signing bonus (His father has a history of gambling and domestic problems) the two have not been on full speaking terms [1].
When his father played for Detroit, Prince would sometimes come along for batting practice; on one occasion, at the age of 12, he hit a home run into the upper deck of Tiger Stadium.
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[edit] 2005
Fielder began the 2005 season with the minor-league Nashville Sounds and would later serve as a designated hitter for the Brewers during interleague play. He earned his first call-up to the Majors on June 13, 2005, but he was sent back down to the Sounds after the end of interleague play, since Lyle Overbay was already the regular first baseman for the team. Fielder was again called up to the Majors on August 17, 2005, and went on to finish the season with the Brewers, where he was used as a pinch-hitter. He finished the season with 17 hits, 2 home runs (include a walk-off game winner on August 31), and a .288 batting average in 39 games with 59 at-bats.
Fielder was married to his wife Chanel, with whom he has a son Jaden, during the Triple A All-Star Break in the summer of 2005. Jaden is currently 2 years old.
[edit] 2006
After Lyle Overbay was traded with minor-league pitcher Ty Taubenheim to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Gabe Gross and pitchers Dave Bush and Zach Jackson, Fielder became the Brewers' starting first baseman in 2006 and was an early favorite for National League Rookie of the Year.
During Spring Training, Chanel Fielder gave birth to their second child, a boy they named Haven Cole, on March 21.
Prince did not get off to a great start in the 2006 regular season, going 0-11 with seven strikeouts. In his 12th at-bat Fielder would finally make a big splash, delivering a game-winning hit that drove home Geoff Jenkins for the winning run in the bottom of the 8th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This hit not only won the game for the Brewers, but secured an opening series sweep. Even with his early season struggles, Prince was named the National League's Rookie of the Month for April, and has been hitting consistently since. Fielder broke Greg Vaughn's rookie home run record when he hit his 18th home run of the season. He currently holds the franchise record with 28 homers. This also led all major league rookies in the 2006 season.
On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Fielder was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.
