October 28
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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First baseman Prince Fielder and right-hander Yovani Gallardo were named the Milwaukee Brewers' most valuable player and most valuable pitcher, respectively, for 2009 in balloting conducted by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Other award winners were closer Trevor Hoffman as top newcomer, reliever Todd Coffey as unsung hero and veteran infielder Craig Counsell as recipient of the "Good Guy" award. Fielder, who received all six first-place votes in ballots cast, had a record-breaking year in Brewers history. With 141 RBI, which tied Philadelphia's Ryan Howard for the major-league lead, he shattered the club mark of 126 established by Cecil Cooper in ..."
October 11
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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At his Web site, baseball analyst Bill James was asked by a Milwaukee Brewers fan "who would get the better of the deal when a superstar hitter is traded for a superstar pitcher?" The fan provided a hypothetical: Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder for Toronto Blue Jay right-hander Roy Halladay. "I'd say the team that gets the non-pitcher will win 65% of the time, because hitting is more stable and predictable than pitching," James answered. "Many pitchers have 15-year careers which include five-year phases in which they are superior performers, but 10 or more years in which they are ordinary. Position players virtually never have this combination. "If you are assuming that the pitcher is ..."
October 8
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Milwaukee Brewers are willing to do most anything this winter to improve their pitching staff. Anything except trade Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun. Despite continuing speculation - mostly from national pundits - that the Brewers will have to trade one of their two sluggers to acquire a quality starting pitcher, general manager Doug Melvin made it clear Wednesday he isn't entertaining such thoughts. At his annual season-review news conference at Miller Park, Melvin said he might have to sacrifice some offense to improve his woeful starting pitching. Melvin then was asked if that meant sacrificing either Fielder or Braun. "That would be a tough one," said Melvin. "I didn't mean it that ..."
September 20
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It had to happen, sooner or later. It happened later, both in terms of games and innings, but that didn't detract from the moment when Prince Fielder became the Milwaukee Brewers' new single-season RBI king Saturday night. Fielder capped the Brewers' fourth consecutive triumph with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, the crowning blow in a 7-2 decision over the Houston Astros at Miller Park. The bases-loaded drive to center off Astros closer Jose Valverde gave Fielder 127 runs batted in, surpassing the club mark of 126 established by Cecil Cooper in 1983. Fittingly, Cooper was in the other dugout as manager of the Astros. With the crowd of 36,399 standing and cheering, Fielder popped ..."
September 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Braden Looper pumped his fist, and his initial scream turned into a smile as he walked off the mound. The infielders followed behind him, all smiling and laughing. The Milwaukee Brewers dugout was full of the same. The crowd at Miller Park stood and gave a lengthy ovation. They all just had witnessed something that had happened only four other times in team history. A triple play. Then they were privileged enough to see something not quite as rare but still a little unfamiliar. A one-run victory. Brewers cleanup hitter Prince Fielder ended the game with a line-drive home run down the right-field line in the 12th inning, giving the Brewers a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants and ..."
July 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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nsidering the explosive 1-2 punch that Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder have formed in the middle of the Milwaukee Brewers' lineup, it would have been unfair to send one to the All-Star Game without the other. Now, that won't happen. Fielder was added to the National League all-star roster Sunday by Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, joining Braun as the Brewers' representatives in St. Louis. Braun was the leading vote-getter among NL outfielders in fan balloting and becomes the first Milwaukee player to start in consecutive games since Robin Yount in 1982 and '83. There was some sentiment that closer Trevor Hoffman and right-hander Yovani Gallardo deserved nods but they were bypassed as ..."
July 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Look at Prince Fielder's case. Batting average: .310, among the top 15 players in the National League. Home runs: 21, tied for fifth in the league. Runs batted in: 75, second in the league behind all-world slugger Albert Pujols' 82. Walks: 59, top five in the league. On-base percentage: .433, second behind Pujols again. Slugging percentage: .613, again behind Pujols. On-base plus slugging: 1.046, second behind . . . you guessed it. "Obviously Albert Pujols is one of the best players ever," Fielder's Milwaukee Brewer teammate Ryan Braun said. "But other than Pujols, (Fielder) has been the best player in baseball. "There's no way you can leave him off the all-star team." With the July 14 ..."
June 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If you are pitching against Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder, there are two pitches you don't want to throw to him and two pitches you should, according to scouting report data collected by ESPN Insider. Fielder is feasting on sliders and changeups this season in general and the last 10 games in particular entering play Monday against Cleveland. Fielder's slugging percentage when the pitch is a slider this season is .449 and is 1.000 the past 10 games. His slugging against changeups is .633 this season and 1.200 the past 10 games. However, Fielder struggles with breaking balls down in the strike zone, where he misses 70% of the time with swings on that pitch. Inside fastballs also ..."
June 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Prince Fielder has proven time after time that he can win games with his bat. He'd like to win a few with his defense, as well. Fielder accomplished both Saturday night, socking two home runs and throwing out a runner at the plate to keep Atlanta off the board as the Brewers won, 3-0, blanking the Braves for the second consecutive night. "It means a lot to me to show I can play both sides of the ball," said Fielder, who boosted his run-production totals to 15 home runs and 54 runs batted in. "I want to do whatever I can to help the team win." Fielder snapped a scoreless duel between Atlanta's Javier Vazquez and Milwaukee's Jeff Suppan by smacking a leadoff homer in the fifth on a 1-0 ..."
May 13
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Prince Fielder handles 0-for-weekends much better now than in his first few years in the major leagues. Not great, but better. "I'm still not that good at it but I try to get over it," the Milwaukee Brewers slugger said. "I still get frustrated and mad at times." If any of those frustrations were lingering from his 0-for-10 showing against the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, Fielder took them out on Florida Marlins lefty John Koronka with a pair of two-run home runs Tuesday night that propelled the Brewers to a 6-3, come-from-behind victory at Miller Park. It might bother some left-handed hitters to face southpaws but not Fielder. Because the rest of the Brewers' regular lineup consists of ..."
April 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha said he never considered taking slumping slugger Prince Fielder out of the lineup Thursday. Philadelphia lefty Cole Hamels probably wished he did. Fielder knocked the Phillies' ace out of the game with a liner off his pitching shoulder in the fourth inning, then delivered the big blow with a three-run double in the fifth to spark the Brewers to a 6-1 victory and only their second series victory at Citizens Bank Park. "I'm just trying to see the ball and concentrate on that," said Fielder, who had only three hits in his last 29 at-bats (.103) entering the game. "I'm seeing a lot of left-handers." Macha said he wanted to keep Fielder in the lineup to give ..."
February 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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One of the biggest stars on the team, and now one of the richest, was allowing a non-roster catcher to hold a straight-razor to his face. Was this really a good idea? "It's cool. He knows what he's doing," Prince Fielder said after getting a haircut and beard touch-up from the redoubtable Martin Maldonado. Maldonado already had established his grooming expertise in camp last spring, so he is trusted not to go all Sweeney Todd on players in the Milwaukee Brewers' clubhouse. Otherwise, Fielder certainly can afford a stop at a local barber shop. Eighteen million dollars can buy a lot of haircuts. Not to mention peace of mind and a blissful countenance. After a couple of springs of financial ..."
January 24
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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On the field, Prince Fielder is one of the most-feared sluggers in the major leagues, with many noteworthy accomplishments during his first three seasons. But off the field, Fielder is a young family man, with a wife and two small children, and plans for the future. In other words, there's a lot to be said for financial security at this time for the Milwaukee Brewers' star first baseman. It was with that backdrop that Fielder came to terms on a two-year, $18 million contract, buying out his first two years of arbitration eligibility. The Brewers finally made that deal official Friday, just before Fielder took part in "Bob Uecker's Winter Warm-Up" at The Riverside. "It's a load off of me ..."
January 23
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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First baseman Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed Thursday on a two-year, $18 million deal that provides benefits for both sides. It also allowed the Brewers and Fielder to amicably move past the unhappiness over his 2008 salary. The Brewers did not announce the deal at an already-scheduled afternoon media session at Miller Park because Fielder hadn't passed the required physical examination. But Fielder later passed his physical, making the deal official. "I would say there is a good possibility we could have an announcement (today)," said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who negotiated the deal with Fielder's agent, Scott Boras. Reached for comment, Boras said he would ..."
January 22
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Someone familiar with the talks just told me that the Brewers and first baseman Prince Fielder have a deal in place for two years and $18 million, pending Fielder passing a physical. Fielder is due to participate in the Brewers' winter activities Friday and Saturday, so he'll probably take a physical tomorrow. Teams have been instructed by MLB not to announce signings until players pass physicals. The Brewers are having a 4 p.m. press conference today at Miller Park that already was arranged prior to the Fielder negotiations. General manager Doug Melvin, manager Ken Macha and scouting director Bruce Seid are scheduled to participate in that session, and owner Mark Attanasio might be on ..."
January 22
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Before salary arbitration figures were filed Tuesday, some wondered if the Milwaukee Brewers and first baseman Prince Fielder would be able to avoid a contentious hearing by reaching an agreement for the 2009 season. Doing that one better, the Brewers and Fielder are closing in on a two-year deal. "We've got some positive things going on," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin confirmed Wednesday evening. "There's a possibility of doing that." The possibility of the sides working out a two-year deal was broached earlier in the day by SI.com's Tom Verducci on the MLB Network. Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, did not return a telephone call, but Boras has done this type of deal with clients in ..."
August 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Prince Fielder knows better than to fight with a teammate in the dugout during a game, which is why he apologized Tuesday for his altercation the previous evening with Manny Parra. "We had a little disagreement, obviously," said the Milwaukee Brewers slugger, who wouldn't talk after the game Monday night about the incident. "I'm not going to go into the depths of what it was over. "It's something that happened. I've been playing with Manny since rookie ball. It's not like we hate each other. At least, I don't. I apologize for the way it went down. I definitely could have handled it better." The incident took place in the top of the seventh inning after Parra was removed from the game with ..."
August 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Teams that are leading the wild-card race normally aren't consumed with frustration. But these aren't normal days for the Milwaukee Brewers. It's certainly not normal for a team to go 10 for 104 with runners in scoring position over a 13-game span. And it's hardly normal for one teammate to attack another on the bench during a game, in full view of those prying television cameras. That was the setting Monday night as the frustrated Brewers dropped a 6-3 decision to the last-place Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The loss was punctuated by a seventh-inning altercation between starting pitcher Manny Parra and first baseman Prince Fielder in the visiting dugout. The Brewers ..."
July 17
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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When one has known nothing but success at a young age, sometimes just a peek of
failure can brew doubt. And if that letdown has any longevity, pressure can build and wear on a
person.
Prince Fielder knows that now.
During his professional baseball career, even in the minors, the 24-year-old
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman has been a hit because he could hit. As the son
of a former beloved slugger in one Midwestern city, Fielder had become the same
a generation later in another.
He finished last year as the youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a season
and a first-time all-star. His path to superstardom was being paved without
interference."
June 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If Prince Fielder still owes money to the Internal Revenue Service, he wasn't saying Wednesday. "I'm not going to comment on private matters," said the Milwaukee Brewers first baseman. On Tuesday, the Detroit News reported that Fielder owes $409,149 in federal income taxes. The newspaper produced a public-record document that showed the IRS filed a lien for that amount against Fielder on Oct. 6, 2005 in Orange County, Fla. The lien indicated that Fielder owed the back taxes from 2003, the year after the 2002 first-round draft pick received a $2.4 million signing bonus from the Brewers."