Texas Rangers: The End of Prince Fielder?
By Ron Juckett
Facing neck surgery, Texas Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder may lose more than the rest of 2016.
Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder faces a decision that may do more than end his season. If the injured designated hitter opts for surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck, his 2016 is done.
With four years left on a contract due to pay him nearly $100 million, the Rangers have bigger issues with Fielder than his present health. Since coming over from the Detroit Tigers in a trade for Ian Kinsler, Fielder now will miss large portions in two of his three seasons in Texas. In his first eight full seasons, he missed 12 games. As a Ranger, he logged 289 in three years.
Mitch Moreland replaced Fielder at first base early this year. Jurickson Profar is taking ground balls to learn how to play first. Fielder’s Adjusted OPS+ of 64 is 31 points below team average and slightly ahead of catcher Bobby Wilson. Texas holds a 3.5 game lead over the Houston Astros in the American League West and they are playing fine without him.
Fielder, listed at five-foot-eleven and a generous 275 pounds, has not been in shape his entire career. During his years with the Milwaukee Brewers and Tigers, it was never an issue. Aside from him playing every day, his power was breathtaking. In 2007, he slugged 50 home runs with Milwaukee then topped 30 each season through 2012 with the Tigers. Something happened to his swing in 2013 as his OPS dropped from .940 to .819. He hit five fewer homers, 25 compared to 30, and his on-base percentage fell below .400 for the first time five years.
After being thrown out trying to score late in the 2013 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, the writing on the wall was there for him to go.
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After a disastrous first year in Arlington where injuries held him to 49 games, Fielder put it all together last year. Slugging 23 homers and hitting .305, the Rangers got the player they traded for. This year is a different story.
Before his neck threw him on the disabled list, his slash line through 89 games sits at .212/.292/.334. The OPS, where he used to flirt annually around 1.000, is .626. At 32, he should be on the start of a decline phase. Those numbers, however, are what you would expect from a player ten years older. With his body type, there is no way he can hold up for another decade without dropping weight.
For most big sluggers such as Mo Vaughn or Boog Powell, the knees go with the added weight. David Ortiz, who has slimmed some from years gone by, has foot troubles. Once an agile fielder despite his size, Fielder was relegated to designated hitter.
In the midst of another good run, the Rangers have a difficult decision to make when the season is over. As with the Philadelphia Phillies and Ryan Howard, Texas has a contract surely no other team will take without the Rangers paying a good chunk.
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A good player in the clubhouse, the Rangers can stash him as a DH and hope he finds some of the old magic, or he gets into playing shape. Either way, this was an expensive lesson.