With the 2015 season on the horizon, it's time to start talking fantasy baseball drafts and where, if at all, you should target Rangers.
First base: Prince Fielder
2014 stats: .247 batting average, .360 on-base percentage, .720 OPS, 3 home runs, 16 RBIs in 42 games
The 2013 season was apparently a bad one for Fielder, as he only hit 25 homers and only drove in 106 runs for the Detroit Tigers. That was seen as a down year for Fielder and the beginning of a slow, steady decline at age 29.
He looked to prove those doubters wrong last year, but the 2014 season went even worse. He played in just 42 games, ultimately needing cervical fusion surgery in his neck — not a great first impression for Rangers fans to get of their high-priced slugger. Now, he looks healthy this spring and appears to have his swing back. That's great news for Rangers fans and fantasy owners, alike.
Fielder finally appears poised for that big rebound season. He's going to (hopefully) play a full season in Globe Life Park instead of the cavernous Comerica Park in Detroit. He's going to (hopefully) be a part of a star-studded heart of the Rangers order, assuming guys like Shin-Soo Choo and Adrian Beltre can stay healthy and play up to their potential.
Fielder should be in line for a huge year, and could be a bargain in the middle rounds of your draft if he falls because of his past two disappointing seasons and the perception that he's not going to have anymore huge offensive years. Look for him to hit 30-plus homers and drive in well over 100 runs if he's healthy, and by all accounts, he is.
