Prince Fielder's first season in a Texas Rangers uniform after he was traded for Ian Kinsler didn't go as planned, not for him or for the Rangers.
Fielder, one of the game's most durable players, barely cleared 40 games in 2014 and hit just three home runs with 12 RBIs serving primarily as the club's cleanup hitter before his season ended to have neck surgery.
New Rangers manager Jeff Banister isn't yet sure where Fielder will hit in his lineup, but wherever it is, he expects big things from the slugging first baseman.
"He's a beast in the middle of that lineup," Banister told reporters. "It's where he deserves to be."
Fielder's last full season, which came in 2013 with the Tigers, saw him put up career-low numbers across the board. Yet, those career-low numbers resulted in 25 home runs and 106 RBIs in a pitcher's park in Detroit.
If Fielder can be healthy and ready to roll in 2015, that will give Banister and the Rangers a lot to look forward to.
