Prince Fielder is a former baseball player who played for a number of baseball teams including the Detriot Tigers, Texas Rangers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He was selected by Milwaukee Brewers directly out of High School in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, where he spent the first seven years of his MLB career playing before signing a deal with the Tigers in 2012 and eventually traded to Rangers the following year where he ended his career prematurely following an injury.
Fielder set several records during his professional career; he broke Brewers’ team record for home runs in a single season and became the youngest player in the history of the league to hit fifty home runs in a season. In 2009, he beat Nelson Cruz in the final round of the derby to become Brewers’ first player to win the Home Run Derby. Prince won it again in 2012 to become the third player to win it more than once as both a National League and an American League All-Star after and Ken Griffey, Jr.
Prince Fielder Bio
Fielder was born on the 9th of May 1984 in Ontario California as Prince Semien Fielder. His father is Cecil Fielder – a former professional baseball player who played as a Power hitter in the Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 80s and 90s. Having a father who played baseball gave Prince Fielder a platform on which he built his career.
He was born a right-hander, but his father converted him to a left-hander at an early age. During his father’s playing days, he took Prince around with him. The kid once appeared with his father on MTV Rock N’ Jock Softball. At the time his father’s was playing with the Detroit, he sometimes took Prince along with him for batting practices. As a twelve-year-old in 1996, Fielder hit a home run off Tigers third base coach Terry Francona into the upper deck of the Tiger’s Stadium.
For school, Prince Fielder studied at the Saint Edward’s School, Vero Beach, Florida, for two years and played junior varsity baseball. He spent the first three years of his high school days playing for Florida Air Academy Melbourne, Florida before transferring to Eau Gallie High School where he played in his senior year. As a senior, he recorded .524 hits, thirteen doubles, forty-seven runs, forty-one RBIs and ten home runs. Florida Today named him 2002 All-Space Coast Player of the Year and in that same year, he committed to play college baseball for Arizona State University.
His Baseball Career
Prince Fielder was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers seventh overall in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. He began his professional career in the Minor League playing for the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. Later he was promoted to the Beloit Snappers of the Class A Midwest League where he spent the whole of 2003 season before being moved to the Huntsville Stars of the Class AA Southern League for the whole of the next season.
He started the 2005 season with the Nashville Sounds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League before he was promoted to the major league later that season. Fielder first began as a designated hitter, later as a regular first baseman. In 2006, he became an early favorite for National League Rookie of the Year. He remained with the Brewers till the end of the 2011 season.
After the world series that year, Prince Fielder became a free agent and in January 2012, he signed a nine-year contract with the Detroit Tigers worth $214 million. This became the largest contract in the history of the Tigers.
He was to play first base, replacing injured Victor Martinez as well as play the bat clean-up in the Tigers batting order. Prince ended the season with a batting average of .313. In April 2013, he was named AL Player of the Week for April 8–14 after he recorded .632 hits during the week with eleven RBIs and twenty-two total bases.
In November 2013, Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for $30 million and their second baseman and in June 2014, he underwent a neck surgery that ended his season prematurely. He also ended the 2016 season prematurely due to an injury.
In October 2017, the Rangers had to release him citing financial considerations. Fielder would later call a press conference where he amidst tears announced his retirement from professional baseball. His reasons were not far from the facts that he had struggled with injuries for the past two/three seasons and have undergone several surgeries.
What Is His Net Worth?
Before Prince Fielder retired from professional baseball, his annual salary was $23 million and his net worth was estimated at $80 million. Following his retirement, it is not certain how much he is currently worth.
Who Is His Wife?
Fielder is married to Chanel Fielder. The couple got married in 2005 while Prince was playing for the Nashville Sounds. However, the baseballer filed for a divorce in May 2013 but the couple reconciled in March 2014. They have two sons together (Jadyn and Haven).
Other Facts You Need to Know
Prince Fielder was named after the musician
He has a tattoo on the left side of his neck which reads, “왕자” – the Korean word for his name “Prince”.
The former MLB star stands at a height of 1.83m and weighs 125kg.
Fielder practiced a vegetarian lifestyle for just three months before giving up.
