Prince Fielder to Miss Rest of Texas Rangers Season

The Texas Rangers season has gone from bad to worse. The Rangers are currently in fourth place in the American League West with a record of 23-25. Texas is seven games behind the first place Oakland Athletics and has won just 4 of its past 10 games overall.

The Rangers were hit with another huge blow this week when the team learned that Prince Fielder would not play again this season. Fielders’ first season as a Ranger ends with 3 homers, 16 RBIs and a batting average of just .247.

Fielder, who is 30, will have cervical fusion surgery on his neck next week. The surgery is known to have a high rate of success and is not considered a threat to Fielder’s career.

Fielder will need about four months of rehabilitation and Rangers management feels the slugger will be ready to play in spring training in 2015.

Some baseball watchers are now wondering if we will ever see the same Prince Fielder again at the plate. Over his career, he has become one of the most feared power-hitters in baseball.

If he comes back and hits 35 home runs and knocks in 100 runs then this horrible 2014 season will be shrugged off with many more productive seasons ahead of him. The Rangers surely hope so since they just signed the slugger to a 7-year $138 million contract.

If Fielder never comes back to the form he once had, this trade would go down as one of baseball’s worst in history.

Manager Ron Washington’s job is on the line in this. If Fielder does not return to his pre-injury slugging ways then Washington will not withstand the fall out.

Fielder’s herniated disc has left his left arm significantly weaker than the right. That robbed him of the chance to drive through the pitch for power.

Fielder was not given a physical after he was traded to the Rangers from Detroit. It seems protocol in the Majors is just to exchange medical records and if no red flag pops up then the deal is made.

Fielder wants to play each day and that is obviously, as he missed one game during the past five seasons playing in 547 consecutive games until this week.

No one is sure if Fielder will return to being the thumper at the plate he has been since he came into the big leagues with Milwaukee in 2005.

However, he has great pride and will return in good shape, wanting to earn the $138 million that is guaranteed.

Fielder is aware of the expectations management, players and fans have on someone who signs of nine figures; however, that pales in comparison to the pressure he places on himself to deliver hits and runs.

Fielder has averaged 35 homers and 106 RBIs with a batting average of .285 over the first 9 seasons he has been in the bigs.

Let’s hope he returns to his form while a Brewer and Tiger and can shut up the skeptics and continue his fine career.