Cecil Grant Fielder was born September 21, 1963 in Los Angeles, California.
Often weighing in at over 250 pounds, Fielder put to full use his considerable girth, massive arms and powerful legs, uncoiling a ferocious, all-or-nothing swing in the classic power-hitter mold that routinely generated both tape-measure blasts and prodigious strikeout totals.
Welcome to the Baseball History Podcast: Featuring This Week in Baseball History, baseball dictionary and a tour of baseball cities. I’m your game announcer Bob Wright.
This is game 03 of the 2010 baseball season
In the first inning let’s take a look at This Week in Baseball History for the 3 week of January.
January 15
1990 Cecil Fielder signs with the Tigers as a free agent having spent last season with Hanshin Tigers and hitting 38 home runs for the Japanese team.
Cecil Grant Fielder was born September 21, 1963 in Los Angeles, California.
Often weighing in at over 250 pounds, Fielder put to full use his considerable girth, massive arms and powerful legs, uncoiling a ferocious, all-or-nothing swing in the classic power-hitter mold that routinely generated both tape-measure blasts and prodigious strikeout totals.
While attending college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Fielder was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 31st round of the 1981 amateur draft, but didn’t sign. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 4th round of the 1982 amateur draft, and this time did sign.
In 1983, he was traded by the Royals to the Toronto Blue Jays.
After 31 home runs in four seasons as a part-time first and third baseman for the Blue Jays, Fielder was signed after the 1988 season by The Hanshin Tigers. With Toronto he earned $125,000 per season; the Hanshin Tigers paid him $1,050,000, including a chauffeur and a full-time interpreter. More than the money, Fielder said, he went to Japan for the opportunity to play every day. He became a hero to the local baseball fans that nicknamed him “Wild Bear”.
In 1989 Fielder blasted 38 round trippers for the Hanshin Tigers, leading Japan’s Central League with a .628 slugging percentage.
Detroit took a chance and signed him to a two-year deal in January 1990. Fielder made the decision look like a good investment when he began wowing teammates and opposing hurlers with displays of his massive power in spring training while winning the club’s first base job.
Overcoming a slow start to the regular season, Fielder soon heated up and didn’t stop busting fences the rest of the season. On October 3rd, the final game of the year, he joined the 50-home run club by clouting a pair of home run blasts at Yankee Stadium. He led all of baseball in home runs, Runs Batted In and slugging percentage, while also leading the American League in total bases and extra-base hits. However, his 182 strikeouts were the fifth-highest total in baseball history.
During the 1990s, Fielder built a reputation for clutch hitting and power, though the Tigers continued to be no better than mediocre. His new fans nicknamed him “Big Daddy” for his big smile, peaceful temperament, and prodigious home runs; as well as his massive physical stature.
The 1991 season produced much of the same as Fielder again led all of baseball with 44 home runs and 133 Runs Batted In. Fielder, for the second year in a row, came in second in the Most Valuable Player voting. Angry over missing out on the honor for the second straight season, Fielder lashed out at the voters, going so far as to accuse them of racism in their selection of Ripken, who was white.
He felt snubbed again in 1992, when he was left off the All Star team despite leading the league in Runs Batted In at the midway point. Fielder said, “It’s an ugly situation. Is it the city we play in? Is it that so few fans come to our games? It’s kind of petty stuff compared to the other disappointments of my career”, referring to the years he spent in Toronto, when he posted good numbers in limited action but had to play in Japan to prove he deserved a full-time job.
At season’s end Fielder wound up third to Juan Gonzalez and Mark McGwire in the home run chase, but his 124 Runs Batted In made him the first American Leaguer since Babe Ruth to lead the majors in runs batted in for three consecutive seasons.
Over the next several years he continued to pile up impressive power totals for a series of mediocre Tiger teams.
In the ninth inning of an April 2nd, 1996 game at the Minnesota Metrodome, Fielder took off from first on a hit-and-run and lumbered safely into second when Melvin Nieves swung through the pitch and catcher Greg Myers’ throw kicked off the heel of shortstop Pat Meares. It was Fielder’s first stolen base at any level since 1984, and his first ever in 1,096 major-league games, a record for the most games at the start of a career without a steal. The Minnesota crowd cheered wildly after learning that it was his first steal, and after the game a Twins’ attendant delivered the base to his locker. After the game Fielder said, “The pressure is off now. He (manager Buddy Bell) might start moving me a little more now that he has seen me run. Hopefully he won’t.”
After years of finishing well out of pennant contention with Detroit, Fielder was sent to the Yankees for outfielder Ruben Sierra in July 1996 just hours before the trading deadline. He launched 13 of his 39 home runs during his 53 games with New York, but his most vital contributions came during the post-season.
Fielder homered and drove in four runs during the Yankees four-game dismissal of Texas in the Division Series, and then helped New York polish off Baltimore with home runs in Game Three and Five of the League Championship Series at Camden Yards.
His biggest hit however, which came during Game Five of the World Series at Atlanta, did not leave the ballpark. With the series even at the two games apiece and Andy Pettitte and John Smoltz settled into a scoreless pitcher’s duel, Fielder ripped a fourth-inning double down the left field line to score Charlie Hayes. It would stand up as the only run of the game, as the Yankees hung on to claim a 3-2 series advantage. The club would win again in Game Six to capture the franchise’s first World Series since 1978.
Fielder spent one more year with the Yankees, hitting just 13 home runs in 361 at-bats. He signed a free-agent deal with Anaheim in December 1997, and was tied for the team lead with 68 Runs Batted In before unexpectedly getting released that August. Many speculated that the club didn’t want to pay him several performance bonuses he would soon have been due, or that he failed to get along with manager Terry Collins.
Whatever the reason, the Indians promptly picked him up for a pennant-run boost to their lineup, but let him go in mid-September after he hit .143 in 14 games. The following spring he signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays but was cut just before the start of the season.
The good-natured Fielder, immensely popular with fans and players alike, was the first Tiger to hit a baseball completely over the left field roof at Tiger Stadium, and the first player ever to hit a ball over the outfield bleachers at Milwaukee’s County Stadium.
In his career, Fielder batted .255, with 319 Homer Runs and 1008 Runs Batted In.
Since retirement, Fielder has spent a couple of years managing in the minor leagues.
Fielder’s son Prince is a first baseman with the Milwaukee Brewers. On September 25, 2007, Prince hit his 50th home run of the season, making Cecil and Prince the only father/son duo in Major League history to each reach the milestone.
In this inning we’ll open up the Baseball Dictionary
Under the letter: N
Natural hitter
An easy-swinging and effective hitter with a good eye for the strike zone..
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