Fielder worth his weight in a trade

Doubters say Fielder's size is a risk, but his father, Cecil Fielder, was a big man, and Prince has always been big. I met Prince when he was 12 years old. Cecil and I were playing in a charity softball outing, and Prince came with him. He was a big kid then. He will always be a big kid. I remember when I first got signed, I was 170 pounds and then I hurt my knee in A-ball and shot up to 200 pounds. Eventually, I played at 215 pounds, and I was overweight for my size. In Prince's case, this is not an abnormal thing for him. He's a big guy, but he's still very agile around the bases. He's similar to Ryan Howard, in that he's a big guy but they both carry their weight well and they actually have good feet. The only area where the pair differs is that Howard is a bit more consistent.
People keep asking if Price Fielder is worth the risk, but I don't think he's a risk at all. He's a proven major league power hitter. He's not a great first baseman, but he's better than most and he can still get around the bases. Fielder will go from first to third, he can score from second on a single, and there's something to be said about having a father who was a major league player. He's been in clubhouses his entire life, and the baseball diamond is where he thrives.John Kruk is an analyst for "Baseball Tonight"
Baseball Tonight Live
"Baseball Tonight" analysts, ESPN.com writers and SweetSpot Network bloggers chatted and gave their in-game opinions throughout the day's games -- all in Baseball Tonight Live.
Touch 'Em All

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NAME | HR | OPP | SITUATION | Pitcher |
---|---|---|---|---|
Prince Fielder, MIL | 23 | PIT | Top 5: 0-0, 0 Outs. None on. | Karstens |
Albert Pujols, STL | 22 | PHI | Bot 5: 1-0, 1 Out. 1 on. | Kendrick |
Miguel Cabrera, DET | 23 | TEX | Bot 3: 3-2, 2 Outs. None on. | Feldman |
Miguel Cabrera, DET | 24 | TEX | Bot 5: 1-1, 0 Outs. None on. | Feldman |
Yunel Escobar, TOR | 2 | KC | Top 3: 2-2, 2 Outs. 1 on. | Davis |
BASEBALL TONIGHT ON THE AIR
TUESDAY
10 p.m. ET on ESPN |
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Host: Karl Ravech Analysts: John Kruk, Chris Singleton, Buster Olney |
12 a.m. ET on ESPN |
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Host: Karl Ravech Analysts: John Kruk |
WEB GEMS
Watch the throw at No. 1
WEB GEMS LEADERBOARD

Players
Player | Points |
---|---|
Brandon Phillips, CIN | 41 |
Troy Tulowitzki, COL | 26 |
Evan Longoria, TB | 25 |
Dustin Pedroia, BOS | 19 |
Marlon Byrd, CHC | 19 |
Teams
Team | Points |
---|---|
Cincinnati Reds | 105 |
New York Yankees | 95 |
Tampa Bay Rays | 75 |
Boston Red Sox | 66 |
New York Mets | 63 |
MONDAY'S BEST AND WORST
BEST
Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
The Rangers got away with an 8-6, 14-inning win against the Tigers, but it would have come easier had they been more careful with Cabrera, who went 3-for-6, homered twice, walked once and drove home three runs to raise his average to .340.
WORST
Carlos Silva, RHP, Cubs
Silva lasted only one inning against the Astros. It wasn't pretty. He gave up seven hits, two walks and five runs to put the Cubs in a quick hole in a game they went on to lose 11-5. In his previous start, Silva went 1 1/3 innings, giving up six runs before being ejected.
TUESDAY'S BEST MATCHUPS
Rangers at Tigers, 7:05 p.m. ET
The Rangers' Tommy Hunter still hasn't lost this season; he's 6-0 in eight starts with a 2.39 ERA. Since his near-perfect game June 2, Armando Galarraga hasn't been involved in many decisions; he's just 1-1 in six starts.
Padres at Braves, 7:10 p.m. ET
Wade LeBlanc is carrying around a 3.30 ERA, but only a 4-7 record. He is 0-3 over his past five starts but did not give up more than three runs in any of those outings. After starting 0-3, Jair Jurrjens is 2-0 over his past three outings.
Giants at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. ET
After consecutive losses that had people wondering if something was wrong with Tim Lincecum, the back-to-back Cy Young winner has allowed one run in 16 innings and picked up consecutive wins. Clayton Kershaw was roughed up by the Cardinals in his last outing, lasting only 4 1/3 innings.
The rest of Tuesday's schedule »
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