MLB Rumors: Prince Fielder likely to announce retirement
Following another neck surgery in late July, Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder will reportedly retire.
Related Story: Prince Fielder may need season-ending neck surgery
Twice in the past three seasons, Texas Rangers first baseman and designated hitter Prince Fielder has had his season shortened by a major neck injury and subsequent surgery. Now, the team is scheduling a Wednesday press conference, where Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Fielder will officially retire. Rosenthal has since followed up, however:
To be clear: Prince Fielder is not retiring. He is medically disabled and doctors will not clear him to play, sources say.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 9, 2016
Fielder has struggled this season, registering a slash-line of just .212/.292/.334 with eight home runs and 44 RBI over 370 plate appearances. He won American League Comeback Player of the Year in 2015 with a .305 batting average, 23 home runs and 98 RBI over 158 games, after his first neck injury limited him to 42 games in 2014. But a drop-off in power production as last season wore on created concern heading into 2016.
Fielder was one of the most durable players in all of baseball for a significant stretch, despite a physical build that would suggest otherwise. From 2009-2013, with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Detroit Tigers, Fielder played all 162 games four times. In fact, the lone season in which Fielder didn’t play a full slate — with the Brewers in 2010 — he still managed to log a cool 161.
Going back a little further, to 2007, Fielder drove in over 100 runs in six of the subsequent seven seasons, hitting at least 25 home runs in eight straight campaigns from 2006-2013. With a combination of every day availability and good power production, Fielder was virtually unrivaled during his prime.
Assuming he doesn’t find a medical opinion that will allow him to play, Fielder will end his career with 1,645 hits, a .283 career batting average, 319 home runs and 1,028 RBI over 12 MLB seasons. In a pure statistical fluke, 319 home runs is exactly the same number his father, Cecil Fielder, had over 13 major league seasons.