The Brewers inked first baseman Prince Fielder to a two-year deal worth 18 million dollars yesterday (18 million is cheap for a 2-year contract for Fielder—see Ryan Howard…). So the Prince is signed through 2010 to play in Milwaukee. Is this a good thing for Brewers fans? Well, let’s weigh the pros and cons.
Prince is a Major League hitter. Although his numbers last season slipped from his 2007 numbers, 34 home runs, 102 RBIs, and a .507 slugging percentage are solid numbers for any 24-year old. And Brewer fans let’s not forget that Prince’s bat got you into the playoffs last season. Another stat I can throw at you. Prince was the youngest player ever to hit 50 home runs in one season when he accomplished the task in 2007. So a guy like this should be locked up with a big contract, right?
Not so fast. First of all, Prince has had his doubts with playing in Milwaukee. He turned down a 5-year, $60 million contract earlier this season. That’s an incredible sum of money for any player of his age—and for him to say no to it! Secondly, Prince’s defense is almost as bad as Ryan Braun’s was at third base for the Brewers a year ago. Watching him field a short hop is always pretty comical. Even seeing the man stretch for the ball is highly entertaining. This leads to my next point—Fielder’s weight. Fielder has gained weight since becoming a pro, which is usually a good thing. Young guys pack on muscle and beef up for Major League pitching. The problem is Prince already is “beefed” up—with more than just muscle. The 270-pound Fielder has actually gained weight since claiming he became a vegetarian. Cause for concern? Absolutely. Fourth, there are prospects waiting for their chance to shine. I’m not saying that the Brewers should unload Fielder for prospects, but with a rebuilding year in order, (a case can be argued against that) it isn’t so illogical. Plus, the Brewers could get a valuable pitcher in return for Fielder. Matt Cain’s name came up in trade rumors in the past, and he would be a good fit in Milwaukee. If Fielder was traded, Mat Gamel would most likely get the nod for the first base vacancy. Gamel is one of the top Brewers prospects, but his fielding is so poor (.826 in 2007) that his only logical spot is at first base. The kid can hit, though. So maybe signing Fielder was a bad idea.
Let’s not jump to conclusions. Don't forget what the man can do. Turning down a 5-year contract doesn’t mean pull the plug on the player altogether. It just means he might want to take things slower—see what happens. The counter-argument to his defense…only his offense. As I mentioned before, Fielder has Major League power and he has showcased it the last two years with some of the mightiest hacks I’ve ever seen. And to add to his offense, he isn’t the Adam Dunn type who hits .245 with 195 strikeouts. Don’t get me wrong—Fielder has his share of strikeouts. But his .278 career average is way higher than Dunn’s proving that Prince is not just a typical power hitter. Now, onto the weight problem. It might not be a terrible thing. CC Sabathia is listed at 290 pounds and he is in great shape—not to mention has never had a major injury. Bigger doesn’t always mean that the player won’t last long. This moves me to my last point—the trade so Gamel can come up. Fielder is proven at a Major League level—you know what you are going to get: 35-45 home runs, 100 RBIs and 16 errors a year. With Gamel, he could struggle offensively and don’t think his defense will keep him up.
So what are my final thoughts and feelings on the signing of Prince? I think that the Brewers got a great deal by paying only $18 million for two years. I think that the signing gives the Brewers a lot of options. If they throw another contract offer at him and he declines again, they can always think about trading him. His value is pretty high. If he excels offensively this season, he is already signed for the next year. There’s a lot the Brewers can do with a guy of his caliber, but for right now they are concerned with how he will be playing in a Brewers uniform. Overall, I say it was a smart move for the Brewers—keep the man around for his bat, and see what happens in the future.
Chuck's Corner On Hold For Awhile
14 years ago
For the short term, I think signing Fielder was a good move. But long-term, the team will continue to lose its big name players. That's inherently the problem with the Brewers and baseball. We couldn't afford to pay Fielder fairly and long-term to what his numbers dictate, and more than likely, Milwaukee will never be able to do so under the current revenue structure.
ReplyDeleteAnother issue, baseball is a tricky sport, because unlike other sports, it's hard to tell what a player's fitness level does to his game. In other sports it's easy how fitness affects abilities. For example, there never been a time where I thought "why isn't that overweight guard for the Knicks playing? Or the Patriots should really give more snaps to that heavy wide receiver" My opinion, but he is what he is, which is still far better than most first baseman. Plus, Fielder's dad was fat. Really fat. If Cecil, a all-star player and one of the best home run hitters ever, can play some first base as a fat man, so can his son.
I agree this contract with Fielder was a good move. I look at this way, our four best players from the only post season in my lifetime were Fielder, Sabathia, Braun and Ben Sheets. We've already lost Sabathia and more than likely going to lose Sheets. So if we lost Fielder, now or sometime in the immediate future, that's 3 of our top 4 players. That just sucks and shows how bad the finances of baseball ruin the game itself. After he turned down the long-term, this was absolutely the best thing Milwaukee could have done.
I agree with the issue on revenue. Milwaukee will never have the type of money that Chicago or New York can offer - which is why my article on the little guy in baseball is so important. If teams like the Marlins and Rays can make World Series appearances (and in the Marlins two cases-1997 and 2003-win the World Series) then any small market team has a chance. Even if the window of opportunity is so small that it may only be one year. That's the thrill in sports. Maybe that one year could be it. Sadly, last year might have been the Brewers only chance for for a World Series championship in a while.
ReplyDeleteTrue, and I do think that last year was their one chance for a certain period.
ReplyDelete