"Even now, decades after each took his final mighty left-handed cut, their names cause a shudder.

If you were their fan or their teammate, it's a shudder of excitement, of admiration.

If you were a pitcher who had to get them out, it might be a shudder of dread.

Their names are Willie Stargell and Willie McCovey. They're two of the top left-handed sluggers of all time.

Their names came up this week when longtime major league pitcher Jim Kaat was asked whom Prince Fielder reminds him of.

"He is a rare combination of talent," said Kaat, now an analyst for MLB Network. "For left-handed-hitting first basemen with that combination of power and average, you have to go back to McCovey and Stargell -- that type of player. He fits right into that category."

McCovey hit 521 homers, most of them for the Giants. Stargell hit 475, all for the Pirates. Fielder, with his thunderous left-handed swing, has hit 230 homers, all for the Brewers. Now he'll hit them for the Tigers."