Top Prospect
Alert - Prince Fielder
DOB: 5/9/84, Age: 18, Bats/Throws: L/L,
Height: 5’11’’, Weight: 286. Acquired: Brewers - Drafted in the 1st Round
of the 2002 Draft (Eau Gallie HS, Melbourne, FL). 2001 Stats: High School.
2002 Stats: (Rookie - Ogden) .390 AVG, 146 AB, 12 2B, 0 3B, 10 HR, 3 SB,
37 BB, 27 K, .531 OBP, .678 SLG; (Low-A - Beloit) .143 AVG, 28 AB, 0 2B, 0
3B, 1 HR, 0 SB, 4 BB, 7 K, .294 OBP, .250 SLG.
Prince Fielder was taken
with the seventh pick in this season’s amateur draft by the Milwaukee
Brewers, and yes, he is indeed the son of “Big Daddy”: Cecil Fielder. As
you might expect, Fielder’s primary tool is power, and he has it to spare.
Apparently, Prince hit some homers into the upper deck at Tiger Stadium
when he was twelve. Of course, Prince at twelve was probably bigger than
many high school kids were, so it is not completely unrealistic to
envision. He will be able to hit homers at any level, in any park. He also
appears to have a bit more bat control than his father, and has shown the
ability to hit for a reasonably high average as well. I think he will end
up being better than a Rob Deer-type offensive player. His batting eye is
extremely advanced for an 18-year old, and he has maintained a reasonable
BB/K ratio during his early struggles in the Midwest League. He is
obviously a well-coached offensive player, and I would expect him to move
more quickly through the system than the average high school player. The
remainder of his game, however, is another story. The comments on his
speed and defense should be prefaced by the fact that Prince Fielder is
5’11’’, 286 lbs at last report. He has weighed between 250 and 320 over
the past year or so. That being said, Fielder has average to slightly
better speed. He was clocked at 6.8 in the 60, which is certainly a
reasonable time for a hitter that doesn’t make his living with speed.
Early in his career, at the very least, he will not be a base clogger.
Reports on his defense range from average to horrendous, with the majority
resting on the negative side. Most of the pre-draft comments regarding
Fielder had “AL only” penciled next to them, and thus far (with 10 errors
in less than two months) he has done nothing to dispel that line of
thinking. He most certainly is not a candidate to be moved anywhere else
in the field, and should be viewed as an offense-only contributor to a
team.
The Brewers have made a
habit of using their top picks on high school talent recently, and their
farm system is finally starting to show some signs of life. Nick
Neugebauer looks like a potential ace with the usual health caveats, and
David Krynzel, Jon “Corey” Hart, and Mike Jones all show some signs of
being potential major-leaguers. The Brewers are far from being on top in
terms of young talent, especially with only two hitters (Jenkins and
Sexson) on their big-league roster who have reasonable hopes of being
there in five years, but they appear to be lifting themselves off the
bottom. For Fielder, the biggest problem (no pun intended) is that the
Brewers’ only hitting prospects and young players are clustered at the far
end of the defensive spectrum (1B, 3B, LF). With Sexson and Brad Nelson in
his way, Fielder will have a tough road to hoe. I would not be the least
bit surprised to see him end up in the American League sooner rather than
later, perhaps with one of Cecil’s old teams (with Big Daddy acting as his
agent). The Mo Vaughn comparisons are obvious, and should also serve as a
warning to Fielder: avoid the Golden Arches at all costs, or your career
will end up quite a bit shorter than it could have been.
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