As we're all too well aware, Prince Fielder remains without a home run in 2008. Some ascribe this to his new vegetarian lifestyle and others have pointed out his slow home run start last season. I thought I'd take another look at his struggles.

Dating back to the September 26 game last season, Prince has gone 13 games and 43 at bats without a home run. This is just over half the length (in games) of his longest homer drought: from September 1, 2005 to April 7, 2006, Prince didn't hit a round-tripper in twenty-four straight games. A look at that streak, though, reveals another possible reason for the power drain: he only batted more than once in eight of those games and only started six of them. It might just be he has trouble hitting for power as a pinch hitter. All in all, he only got 41 at bats in that 24-game stretch and had one at bat before his home run in the would-be twenty-fifth game.

Added to the trouble of having to pinch-hit is the fact he was 21 and still in his first go-round in the majors. Those aren't particularly great circumstances in which to hit in the first place, much less to mash the ball. There's no similar excuse for his second-longest streak by games (longest in terms of at bats). Last season, Prince went without a home run in 18 straight games from July 14 to July 31. He started all but one of those games and ended up with 65 at bats in them. Adding on the two final homerless at bats from the July 13 game, Prince went a total of 67 at bats without a home run before hitting one in the first inning of the August 1 game. Note that his current streak is just about two-thirds of the way to that mark.

In addition to his current streak, Prince has two other 13-game homerless streaks. From April 4 to April 19, 2007, he went 50 consecutive at bats without a home run in those thirteen games. He went homerless in his final two trips to the plate on April 3 and in his first two at bats on April 20, meaning he went 54 total consecutive at bats sans homer. His other streak was in the 2006 season from May 14 to May 28. Adding the three at bats after his home run on May 13 and the two before his home run on May 29 gives him 53 consecutive at bats in that span.

Here's his top ten homerless streaks in terms of at bats (Updated through 4/15/08 - 0 AB on 4/15):

1. July 13 - August 1, 2007, 67 AB
2. June 27 - July 16, 2006, 58 AB
3. September 26, 2007 - present, 55 AB
4. April 3 - April 20, 2007, 54 AB
5. May 13 - May 29, 2006, 53 AB
6. September 1, 2005 - April 8, 2006, 42 AB
      May 29 - June 10, 2006, 42 AB
      September 16 - September 29, 2006, 42 AB
9. April 29 - May 12, 2006, 40 AB
10. August 13 - August 24, 2006, 39 AB

The dates listed are often days he hit home runs. I've listed the streaks as starting (ending) then because he usually had at bats after (before) his home run on that day that began (ended) the streak. That's why it looks like his #4 streak and one of his #6 streaks could overlap - his home run on May 29 broke them into two separate streaks.