Prince Fielder

Prince Fielder spent his last 7 seasons playing in Miller Park in Milwaukee. In 2012 Prince Fielder will be playing for the Tigers until 2021. Fielder will be 28 in may and has 230 home runs and a career .390 on base percentage to his name. Lets see how a change in ball park will fare for Prince Fielder.

Miller Park is actually bigger than Comerica Park to right field. The dimensions of Miller Park from left field to right field are the following: 344, 371, 400, 374, 345. In Comerica Park the dimensions from right to left are the following: 345, 370, 420, 365, 330. The right field line and the right field power alley are significantly closer for Fielder so his power numbers may go up.

Fielder gets hits to all fields, but 52% of his home runs were hit to right field. Fielder played in every game last year and hit 24 home runs at Miller Park so that means he hit about 12 home runs to right field in Miller Park.With the walls being about 10-15 feet closer in right field, when Fielder pulls the fly out on the track it will now be gone. Fielder did hit 10 home runs to center field, so that is 26% of his home runs. Center field is 20 feet deeper in Comerica Park so Fielder may try to pull the ball more in the upcoming seasons.

The other thing that people often look over when evaluating a player switching leagues is the ballparks he will be playing in on the road. Fenway Park is 302 feet to the right field foul pole, Yankee Stadium is 314 feet to the right field foul pole, Camden Yards is 318 to the score board in right field, in the Rogers Centre its 328 feet to right field and in Tropicana Field it is 322 feet to right field. All the ballparks in the American League East are small and so when Fielder and the Tigers are on the road and playing east coast teams watch out.

The average dimensions to right field and right center in the National League are 333 feet and 380 feet respectively and in the American League they are 324 and 372 respectively. The average height of the fences are smaller as well. In the American League the fences are 1 foot shorter than in the National League. Its not a big difference, but there is one. These are just the little things that factor into Fielder having a great 2012 season. You can expect at least 40-45 home runs from him.

The Detroit Tigers

The Tigers finished 2011 strong with a record of 95-67. The won the AL Central and the ALDS. The have three MVP caliber players and are a favorite for the AL Central again.

The Tigers have a good pitching rotation. If you put Justin Verlander in any rotation, it instantly become good. Verlander won the Cy Young award and the MVP, but there are four other starters to talk about. Doug Fister was a mid-season acquisition for the Tigers in 2011. He pitched 216 innings for the Mariners and The Tigers with a 2.83 ERA accumulating 11 wins: 8 for the Tigers and 3 for The Mariners.  Rick Porcello is still young. He is 23 years old and in 2011 he pitched 182 innings with a 4.75 ERA and picking up 14 wins. Porcello has a lot of talent and being young only magnifies it. Max Scherzer pitched 195 innings getting 15 wins with a 4.43 ERA. He can improve as well. Entering his age 27 season he may break through. The final starter could be Phil Coke or Daniel Schlereth. both are decent lefties that can rack up some innings.

The new and improved lineup for The Tigers will be fun to watch. Everyone has been talking about the signing of Prince Fielder. Fielder combined with Cabrera can pack a wallop. Here is a line of both their stats from 2011:

Fielder: 162 games, 38 home runs, 120 RBI's, .415 OBP, 164 OPS+
Cabrera: 161 games, 30 home runs, 105 RBI's, .448 OBP, 181 OPS+

I think the numbers explain themselves. The Tigers definitely have the best 3-4 combination in the American League and probably all of baseball. The Tigers also have Delmon young who can also do some damage to opposing pitchers. Austin Jackson is the speed threat and the great defensive center fielder for the Tigers. If he can get an on base percentage of .350 or higher, Cabrera and Fielder will drive him in and score a lot of runs. Brennan Boesch gets on base a lot(.341 OBP), and can also bring some runs to the team.

Finally the Tigers have one slight weakness. Their bullpen could use some help. They have the 9th inning locked up with Jose Valverde, but as for the other innings you might have to hold your breath. Valverde had a 2.24 ERA and 49 saves in 2011, but he cant pitch in every game, so I can see The Tigers trading for a reliever before the trading deadline.

The Tigers will definitely make the playoffs.  

The Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers won the National League central with 96 wins in 2011. In the 2011-2012 off season it looks like The Brewers aren't even going to win the wildcard. they lost Prince fielder to free agency and Ryan Braun has to face a 50 game suspension for a failed test for performing enhancing drugs. The Brewers haven't signed any sluggers besides Aramis Ramirez so there is no one to replace Fielder.

Braun and Fielder used to be the 3-4 bunch for the Brewers combining for 231 RBI's, 71 home runs, a .406 on base percentage, and an OPS+ of 165, which is phenomenal. Now The Brewers have to play 50 games without Braun, the 2011 NL MVP and 162 games without Fielder. The Brewers didn't sign Carlos Pena as a replacement and don't seem to be in the bidding for any of the other remaining possible free agents. A trade might be brewing, but it doesn't seem likely.

The rotation for The Brewers seems pretty stable with Zack Grienke anchoring it. Grienke won 16 games with a 3.86 ERA over 171 innings. The other notable starters are Yovani Gallardo, Shaun Marcum, and Randy Wolf. These three starters combined for 619 innings and a 3.58 ERA. The Brewers have four starters with decent ERA's and can provide a sufficient amount of innings. If they do fail to pitch a decent amount of innings The Brewers have good bullpen. With Axford and Rodriguez in the back end the 8th and 9th innings are almost a given. 


Although the middle of the lineup is significantly weaker, The Brew Crew still has Rickie Weeks and they signed Aramis Ramairez. Weeks hit 20 home runs, had a .350 on base percentage and an OPS+ of 121. Rmairez hit 26 home runs, had a 361 on base percentage, and 136 OPS+. Also Corey Hart hit 26 home runs for The Brewers, but any combination of  these three players will not make up for the combination of Braun and Fielder. 


When Braun returns after his 50 game suspension, The Brewers may be able to compete with The Reds, but they will already be in a hole. with The NL West looking stronger than ever, a wild card also looks out of the equation.   

King Cabrera and Prince Fielder

There is a monarchy taking over at first base in the Motor City. Last night Prince Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers for 9 year $214 million. After the injury to Victor Martinez, putting him out for most of the 2012 season The Tigers quickly became the mystery team for Prince Fielder.

As a kid Prince Fielder would hit home runs out of old Tigers' Stadium with his dad Cecil Fielder. Fielder will be 28 in June of 2012 and he has already established himself as a power house. He hit 46, 32, and 38 home runs in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. Over those 3 years he gathered 344 RBI's with a 154 OPS+ and a .409 on base percentage. He will provide a lot of offense for the Tigers.

We all know how dangerous Miguel Cabrera is, but lets take a look at his stats. In 2011 Cabrera hit 30 home runs, 108 RBI's, had a .448 on base percentage and a 181 OPS+, which is ridiculous.  The 3-4 Spots in the line up will be a RBI factory for the Tigers.

The road trips to the AL east will be very offensive, with Fielder and Cabrera playing in Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Camden Yards the baseballs may be flying with the birds.