Milwaukee Brewers 2011 - 25 in 25 - Prince Fielder (1 of 25)

The 2011 edition of Milwaukee Brewers "25 in 25" starts out with the biggest player on the roster - 1st baseman Prince Fielder. And I don't say that just because he is the largest player on the team, I say that because he is the most important player on the offensive side of the ball. But enough about the weight jokes already. I mean just look at him! That picture was taken in the offseason when he visited China as a MLB ambassador to try and spread the love of baseball there or some shit. He's looking rather trim though. He must have been hanging out up in the gym with Fergie just working on his fitness. I'm sure that he just got tired of people giving him a hard time about his body and the fact that he would eventually break down because of his weight. The big reason he's out to prove them wrong is because this is his last year with the Brewers before he hits free agency for the first time. He's looking for that big contract (which some speculate is 7-8 years at $20-25 million a year) and if he is a liability defensively, that limits his suitors to AL teams where he eventually shift to the DH role.

Since there is no way the Brewers can afford to pay one player that amount when the team's payroll is in the $80-90 million range, many people (including me) expected the Brewers to trade him in the offseason less he walk away and we get nothing but 2 compensation draft picks in return. That's because the Brewers needed pitching, and Prince was (pun intended) their biggest trading piece. It's ok that I still use weight jokes because I'm a big guy myself. And much like people of ethic backgrounds can call each other names that are otherwise deemed racial slurs, I can call him fat or big boned. But if he keeps in shape I can't make fun of him anymore, so I guess I have to hit up the gym and stay on pace with him. But I have no motivation to do so. It's not like I have $180 million dollars hanging in the balance. But this isn't about me, it's about Prince Fielder.

So now it's time for everyone to come to the conclusion that Prince will be playing for a different team next season. Unless his price tag drops considerably, we just cannot afford a player of his superstar caliber. But instead of getting upset about it, whining that baseball doesn't have a salary cap and that small market teams can never compete (which is all a bunch of bullshit in my opinion, but that rant is too long for today) let's instead focus on the positive - we have one more year of Prince Fielder to lead what should be one of the top 5 offenses in all of baseball. So I decided to talk about Fielder for "25 in 25" in front of the only venue in this town big enough to hold a talent like his - Miller Park, home to your Milwaukee Brewers.

So that in a nutshell is what I think about Prince Fielder. But like I said in the video, I believe that he will have a good year but not a great year. The pressure of his upcoming free agency and contract will weigh heavily (pun once again intended) on him and he will struggle because of it. But I'm still going to say that Prince will have a better 2011 than 2010 because of the maturity and improvement of the hitters in the lineup surrounding him. So I'm saying that Fielder's 2011 season could look something like this:

.276 batting AVG, .404 OBP, 37 HRs, 105 RBIs, 103 runs scored and once again be able to have fun and do goofy home run celebrations like the "bowling pin explosion" in 2009 now that Ron Roenicke is going to let the players be themselves.

One of the factors in Prince getting over the century mark in RBIs is his good buddy Rickie Weeks having another healthy season. If Rickie can get on base (and he does when he's physically in the lineup) he scores runs because of the characters hitting behind him. Prince Fielder will be a free agent after the 2011 season, but Weeks signed a contract extension that will keep him around for another 4-5 years. Now that Bill Hall is off winning games and hitting Grannies somewhere else, Rickie Weeks is my favorite player on the Brewers. So no one in Milwaukee was happier than I was when I heard he would be sticking around for a while. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Roll out the Barrel! We'll have a Barrel of Fun!

-pookon-

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