Detroit Tigers Prince Fielder Reportedly Retiring

Rumor has it that former Detroit Tigers first-baseman Prince Fielder is done playing baseball. The current Texas Rangers DH has been having neck issues since the trade was made a few years ago.

He will hold a press conference on Wednesday to make his announcement. If his presser is anything like Alex Rodriguez‘s a few days ago, the Rangers and Tigers will no longer be responsible for the bloated contract that Mike Ilitch gave him when Fielder joined the team in 2012.

If his presser is anything like Alex Rodriguez’s a few days ago, the Rangers and Tigers will no longer be responsible for the bloated contract that Mike Ilitch gave him when Fielder joined the team in 2012. However, at this time, the word is not out yet about how much money the Rangers and Tigers will continue to owe him.

The report of Fielder’s possible retirement came from Ken Rosenthal:

Fielder has played in six All-Star games and he has been in the MVP talks in 6 of his 12 years in the MLB. Prior to his time with the Tigers, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers where he hit 230 home runs, had a batting average of .282, and had an OPS of .929.

He came to the Tigers in 2012 to replace Victor Martinez who spent the year recovering from knee surgery. In his two years with the Tigers, Fielder’s big bat racked up 55 home runs with his .295 batting average. Fielder played in all 162 regular season games in 2012 and 2013. He earned a Silver Slugger in 2012.

As a Tiger, Fielder will be remembered more for his antics on the field. While chasing down a foul ball to the seats, he stole a nacho chip from a nearby fan. During a playoff game against the Red Sox, Fielder stumbled running the bases. Both goofy antics have been turned in memes that defined Fielder’s time with the Tigers. Yes, that is Jarrod Saltalamacchia making the tag.

And…here’s Prince and the Nachos.

One of the oddest coincidences is that Prince will retire with the same number of home runs that his father Cecil Fielder had: 319. Prince had a better batting average and more All-Star appearances. Their career OPS numbers were close. Prince has a career .887 to Cecil’s .827.  

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Tigers fans were more than happy to see Prince leave in 2014. This was not the case with Cecil. Tigers fans loved the elder Fielder’s big bat. Only one Detroit Tigers player hit more home runs in a season than Cecil. In 1990, he hit 51. Hank Greenburg hit 58 in 1938.

As a Tiger, Prince Fielder has landed on a few all-time lists. In 2012, he was hit by pitches 17 times. That same year, he was intentionally walked 18 times. He is currently sitting in the #10 spot on the WPA list for his 2012 performance; the only other modern-day player on the list is Miguel Cabrera who is ranked in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spots. Both Fielders on the list tied for second for games played (162).

Prince Fielder has lived his life in the public eye on a baseball diamond since he was a young child. As a 12-year-old, he was hitting home runs at the old Tiger Stadium. It is safe to say that at age 32, Fielder will be able to enjoy his time away from the diamond, too.

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If he does announce his retirement tomorrow, this means that the Tigers will no longer have to pay the $30 million that are paying him to stay away from Detroit. It he is finished playing ball for other reasons, the Tigers could still be on the hook for $30 million.