A year ago we were worried about Prince Fielder. He’s no longer a concern.
Fielder, who bounced back from neck surgery to win last year’s AL Comeback Player of the Year, has shown during Spring Training that his health is not a question and his bat is reading for Opening Day.
The designated hitter on Sunday slammed a three-run homer to lead Texas to a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks.
Fielder homered to right field off Diamondbacks’ 2015 Opening Day starter Josh Collmenter.
This Spring he’s hitting .308 (12 for 39) with two homers and only six strikeouts. Last year he played in 158 games, and appears healthy enough to repeat – if not improve upon – an All-Star season in which he clubbed 23 homers and led Texas’ late-season charge past the Astros to the AL West championship.
The Rangers have enough health issues to take up their time, mainly the recovery of ace pitcher Yu Darvish. Penciling in Fielder without a worry is a huge asset to manager Jeff Banister.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
