It’s been one helluva week for veteran sluggers at the end of their respective MLB careers.
Just a few months ago, New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira said he wanted to play in the big leagues for another five years. After struggling to a .200/.288/.343 triple slash through 280 at-bats, the 36-year-old has decided he’s had enough and will retire at the end of this season.
Alex Rodriguez has struggled just as much (.204/.252/.356 in 216 at-bats), but basically had to be forced into getting released by the Yankees at the end of this week.
Now, while Prince Fielder isn’t officially retiring, the first baseman/designated hitter won’t be able lace up his cleats as a ballplayer any longer:
Sources: Prince Fielder’s career appears over. #Rangers expected to hold press conference tomorrow.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 9, 2016
#Rangers’ Fielder underwent his second neck surgery on July 29. He is guaranteed $24M annually through 2020. Not known if TEX has insurance.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 9, 2016
At just 32 years old, Fielder was fully expecting to play more than 12 years in the big leagues, but some things are just out of a person’s control. He still put together an impressive career, slashing .283/.382/.506 with 319 home runs and 1,028 RBI in 5,821 at-bats. The left-handed slugger also finds himself in some familiar company on the all-time home run list:
Prince Fielder could retire with 319 home runs, which is the same total as his dad, Cecil Fielder. That is just…weird.
— D.J. Short (@djshort) August 9, 2016
Talk about irony.
Watching a star player struggle as he passes his prime is tough, and it’s even tougher to watch them end their career — especially when it’s not on their own terms. We’ll find out more details at Wednesday’s press conference, but now is the time to look back and reflect on a truly entertaining career. As Prince ascended to the big leagues and made a name for himself with the Milwaukee Brewers, he was known for his ferocious home run swing and hitting baseballs a country mile.
However, watching him run the bases might have been even more entertaining, which these eight GIFs will show:
As memorable as these trips around the bases were, they’ll never beat his walk-off homer celebration in Milwaukee….
Congrats on a great career, Prince. All the best in your post-baseball life.
Thanks for reading! If you’d like to jumpstart your sportswriting career and aren’t sure how, check out my eBook. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter so we can chat about baseball: @mmusico8.
