We've already gone on record here at Red Fever saying the Texas Rangers traded for the 2014 AL MVP when they acquired Prince Fielder from the Detroit Tigers for Ian Kinsler. We expect big things from the hefty, durable slugger who just so happens to be coming off the worst season of his career.
In that worst season ever, Fielder still hit 25 home runs and drove in more than 100 runs for the Detroit Tigers. He also went through a nasty divorce during the season and was dealing with heavy criticism from Tigers fans for his performance in the 2012 postseason, which didn't improve at all in the 2013 postseason.
But sometimes a change of scenery can do a lot of good, and that will be the case for Fielder, who moves from hitters' hell to hitters' paradise. Fielder's old hitting coach in Detroit, Lloyd McClendon, who's now an AL West rival as the manager of the Seattle Mariners, said the change of parks, among other things, will lead to another big year for Fielder with his new team.
“From an offensive standpoint, he’ll definitely make them better,” McClendon reporters on Sunday. “His track record is what it is, and he’s going to do it every year. He’s a heck of a player.”
