Fielder Signs Massive Contract with Detroit

After seven seasons at first base for the Milwaukee Brewers, free agent Prince Fielder has moved on, signing a 9 year, $214 mil contract with the Detroit Tigers.

As a Brewer, Fielder was a three time all star (2007, 2009, 2001), the 2011 All Star Game MVP, a two time Silver Slugger award winner, the 2007 NL Hank Aaron Award winner, the 2009 Home Run Derby winner, and holds the Milwaukee single-season record for home runs (50 in 2007).

Because Fielder was a Type A free agent, Milwaukee will receive Detroit's first round draft pick in the 2012 draft (27th overall) and a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds of the draft. The Brewers already own the 28th pick in the draft as a result of their season record in 2011.

Fielder has a history in Detroit, as his father, Cecil Fielder, played with the franchise from 1990-1996. Prince often joined his father at batting practice, and was hitting home runs at Tiger Stadium by the time he was 12.

Detroit has already announced that current first baseman Miguel Cabrera will attempt the switch to 3rd base, a position he played during his time in the minor leagues, to allow Fielder to assume the first baseman duties.

Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun Win NL Player of the Week Awards in April

Although the Brewers have struggled somewhat as a team so far this season, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun have been off to a red-hot April.


Check out the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report

Braun Homers, Brewers Win Series

The Brewers beat the Braves for the 3rd straight time to win the home series and improve their season record to 3-4.

Ryan Braun got the scoring started with a 2-run homer in the first inning. After the Braves tied the game, Nyjer Morgan ran over Brave catcher Brian McCann, jarring the bar loose and scoring the go-ahead run. The Brewers added a run in the 8th on a Prince Fielder RBI.

Shaun Marcum pitched well, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings of working. He also recorded 4 strikeouts and walked just 2 batters. The Brewer relievers held on to the lead, and John Axford tallied his 2nd save of the season.

The Brewers welcome in the rival Cubs for a 3 game series starting tomorrow. Randy Wolf will face off against Carlos Zambrano.

Brewers Find Their Groove

The Brewers beat the Pirates 20 to 0 (yes 20) Thursday to complete the sweep against Pittsburgh. The win tied the Brewer record for largest margin of victory, and is a Brewer record for the largest shutout victory in team history. The Brewers also set a club record by leading by 8 runs in four straight games, going back to the final game of the Nationals series.

This three game series against the Pirates was an offensive explosion for the Brewers. In the series Milwaukee outscored Pittsburgh 36-1. The Crew amassed 46 hits, which included 25 extra-base hits (8 home runs).

Several Brewers saw huge production during this series. Ryan Braun went 7-11, hitting 2 home runs and collecting 8 RBI's. Prince Fielder ended a 15 at-bat streak without a hit and finally hit his first home run of the season. Alcides Escobar had arguably the best series of his young career, going 6-14 which included back-to-back triples.

Pitching was also big for the Brewers, as all three starters threw shutouts, the lone run coming from relief pitching. The Brewers starters (Dave Bush, Yovani Gallardo, and Randy Wolf) threw a combined 18 shutout innings. Currently the Brewers have gone 19 innings without surrendering a run.

This series sweep allowed the Brewers to go back above .500, improving their record to 8-7.

The momentum gained in Pittsburgh is vital as the Brewers return home for a series against the rival Cubs.

More Fielder/Zito Talk

A little reaction from Mike and Mike in the Morning on Prince Fielder getting hit by a pitch... (If you can't see the video click here)

Braun and Fielder

ESPN recently released an article featuring Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. You can check it out here.

Giants "Retaliate" for Fielder's HR celebration

After an entire offseason to get over it, the Giants are still unhappy with Prince Fielder's "bowling pin/explosion" home run celebration. With his first pitch to Fielder today in the Brewers' first spring training contest, Giants Pitcher Barry Zito hit Fielder square in the back. Really? Is this still an issue? Fielder and the Brewers were just having fun. They weren't trying to show up the Giants, they were just excited to walk off with a win.

How did Fielder feel about it afterwards? Here's his thoughts via JSOnline:

I asked Prince if he thought the celebration was worth taking one in the back.

"Hell yeah," Fielder said. "That's something I did with me and my teammates. It has nothing to do with them.

"You're damn right it was worth it."

There is no reason the Giants need to retaliate, much less 6 MONTHS after the fact. I mean, they aren't ten years old, they need to suck it up and get over it. At least Fielder was good about, as he just picked up the ball and gave it back to Zito, without saying a word. He even got a good laugh about it with 1st base coach Ed Sedar. I was always a fan of Giants manager Bruce Bochy but today changed my opinion. Stay classy, San Francisco.

Fielder Extension Talk

There has been discussion lately on whether the Brewers will be able to sign Prince Fielder to a long-term extension past 2011. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has publicly stated that the Brewers are prepared to offer Prince a very large contract in the near future, probably somewhat similar to CC Sabathia's 9-figure offer last offseason. A large issue with Fielder is that he's represented by Scott Boras who always tries to get every last penny out of his clients, which makes people believe Prince will either be wearing pinstripes or red sox in a couple years. ESPN's Buster Olney claims that Prince's best option may be taking the Brewers offer though, as the Yanks have Mark Teixeira and the Red Sox are going strong after Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres. I can't read the entire article since I don't have ESPN Insider, but I feel that Olney has left out the fact that both teams play in the American League and could very easily stick Prince at DH. I would love to see the Brewers sign him, as it would show a real commitment to winning for the organization. And just imagine Braun and Fielder hitting 3-4 for the next 5 years. That could turn out to be one of the most lethal combos in history (Plus I want to see more of their awesome boxer/trainer home run celebration).