Report: Prince Fielder’s career is done

The playing career for Prince Fielder may be over.

Ken Rosenthal tweeted earlier today that Fielder’s career is expected to end, and the Rangers are holding a press conference tomorrow. Fielder had neck surgery for the second time recently, and there was a fear going into that surgery that if the neck was injured bad enough, he would not be able to play again. It appears as though those fears have been confirmed.

While playing with the Brewers, Fielder was an iron man for the team. Between 2006 and 2011, he played in all but 13 games, as well as all 162 games in 2009 and 2011. That streak carried over to his time with the Tigers, where he played all 162 games in 2012 and 2013. However, it didn’t follow him to the Rangers, where neck injuries ended his season early in 2014 and 2016.

In his Brewers career, Fielder finished with a batting line of .282/.390/.540, with 230 home runs, 656 RBI, 996 hits, and 571 runs scored. He holds the franchise record for career OBP (.390), second in slugging percentage (.540), ninth in runs scored (571), third in home runs (230), and seventh in RBI (656). He also has the Brewers record for most home runs in a season (50) and RBI in a season (141). Fielder received MVP votes as a Brewer four times, finishing as high as third. He also made three all-star appearances as a Brewer.

Overall, Fielder will finish his career with 319 home runs and 1,028 RBI. His 319 home runs is tied for his career total with his father, Cecil Fielder. In addition, Prince had just 20 more RBI than Cecil, who finished his career with 1,008.

It’s a sad end to the story of one of the greatest players in Brewers history. Fielder will be remembered for many years for everything that he brought to the Brewers and how he helped get the Brewers back to the playoffs and revive the franchise. It all started with this home run back in 2005, and from there, Fielder grew into a Milwaukee legend that will never die.

EDIT: Rosenthal also notes that Fielder is not retiring, he just will be considered medically disabled and unable to play.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference