Early career

Cecil Fielder was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 31st round of the 1981 amateur draft, but did not sign. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 4th round of the 1982 amateur draft, and this time did sign. In 1983, he was traded by the Royals to the Toronto Blue Jays for Leon Roberts.

A part-time first and third baseman for the Blue Jays, Fielder had hit 31 home runs with 84 runs batted in during four seasons. With Toronto, he earned $125,000 per season.

Hanshin Tigers

The Hanshin Tigers signed him after the 1988 season, paying him $1,050,000 ($1,968,644 today), including a chauffeur and a full-time interpreter. More than the money, he said, he went to Japan for the opportunity to play every day. In the beginning of spring training, Fielder had a difficult time adjusting to Japan's baseball culture, however, with the help of Tiger manager Minoru Murayama and Junichi Kashiwabara, he became adjusted to the new environment. The Tigers offered Fielder the position of cleanup hitter, and he became a hero to the local baseball fans, who nicknamed him "Wild Bear" (wild, in Japan, is the image of power; bear, for his hulking presence).

Detroit Tigers

Fielder, built for power at 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds, gained the Detroit Tigers' attention by hitting 38 home runs in Japan's Central League in 1989, and he returned to the U.S. Once again in the majors with Detroit Tigers, Fielder, with his 51-homer, 132 RBI year in 1990, became one of the biggest stories of the season - and perhaps the biggest bargain in the sport (he earned $1.25 million). On the last day of the Tigers' season at Yankee Stadium, Fielder hit his 50th and 51st home runs to become the 11th player in ML history - and only the second in the previous 25 years - to reach the 50-HR plateau. No Detroit Tigers player had turned the mark since Hank Greenberg slugged 58 in 1938, and no Tiger player has reached 50 HR since. Fielder, whose previous high mark was 14 with Toronto in 1987, provided a sudden and unexpected emergence as a legitimate slugger. In addition to his 51 homers, Fielder also led the American League in RBI and total bases (339) that season. In 1990, Fielder also became the fourth American League player to ever have two 3-home run games in a season.

With his 44 home runs in 1991, Cecil joined Hank Greenberg (1937-38) as the only Tiger players at that time to hit 40 or more homers in consecutive seasons. (Miguel Cabrera joined Fielder and Greenberg in 2012-13.) Fielder repeated as AL RBI champion with 133 driven in that season. In 1992, Fielder avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a 1-year, $4.5 million contract, which at the time set a record for highest salary by an arbitration-eligible player. Fielder responded by leading the league in RBI (124) for the third consecutive season, becoming the first American Leaguer since Babe Ruth to do so.

During the 1990s, Fielder built a reputation for clutch hitting and power, though the Tigers continued to be no better than mediocre. His team's fates possibly hurt him with MVP voters. Rickey Henderson and Cal Ripken, Jr. narrowly edged him for the AL's MVP Award in 1990 and 1991, respectively. His new fans in Detroit nicknamed him "Big Daddy" for his big smile, peaceful temperament, and prodigious home runs (as well as his massive physical stature).

In his six-year tenure with Detroit, Fielder had four consecutive 30-homer and 100-RBI seasons, and if the 1994 season had not been strike-shortened he almost certainly would have had another (he had 28 HRs and 90 RBI in 109 games that year). He also became the first Tiger ever to hit at least 25 homers in six consecutive seasons. No player in Detroit history hit as many over a six-year period (219) until Miguel Cabrera hit 227 in 2008-13, and no major league player had more home runs between 1990 and 1995.

Fielder was a member of the All-Star Team in 1990, 1991, and 1993. Fielder was named "Tiger of the Year" by the Detroit chapter of the BBWAA in 1990, 1991, and 1992. He is the only player to receive the award three consecutive years.

In 1993, Fielder signed a 5-year, $36 million contract with the Tigers; which made him the highest paid player in baseball for 2 seasons (1995 and 1996).

Fielder had a reputation as something of a slow baserunner. In 1996 set a major league record by taking 1,096 games to record his first career stolen base, which occurred on a botched hit and run. He stole another base that season as well, and finished his career with 2 stolen bases over 13 seasons and 1,470 games. Fielder also had a reputation as a below average fielder, mostly caused by his poor speed and range. He was however, considered a competent defensive first baseman when it came to putouts and digging infield assists out of the dirt.

Fielder's massive power was exemplified by two long home runs:

• He was one of only four players, and the only Tiger, to homer over the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium (the other three are Harmon Killebrew, Frank Howard and Mark McGwire). He hit the homer off Oakland Athletic Dave Stewart on August 25, 1990.
• He also hit the only home run to ever travel completely out of Milwaukee County Stadium—during either the Braves' Milwaukee history (1953-1965) or Brewers' park history (1970-2000). It was hit off the Brewers' Dan Plesac on September 14, 1991.

Later career

Fielder was traded to the New York Yankees on July 31, 1996, for Rubén Sierra and Matt Drews. Fielder's acquisition was integral in the Yankees' World Series championship that year. Fielder stayed with the Yankees in 1997, and he played for the Anaheim Angels and Cleveland Indians in 1998. Fielder was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays before the start of the 1999 season, but was let go after spring training. He subsequently retired.

In his career, Cecil Fielder batted .255, with 319 HRs, 1008 RBI, and a .482 slugging average, drawing 693 walks for a .345 on-base percentage with 2 career stolen bases. As neither of his stolen bases came in the 1990 season, he held the single season record for most home runs (51) without a single stolen base (later passed by Mark McGwire's 52 HR and 65 HR seasons). He was inducted in the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.

Personal life

In October 2004, The Detroit News reported that Fielder was suffering from domestic and gambling problems. They relied on court documents from Fielder's divorce and a lawsuit brought against him by Trump Plaza Hotel and Casinos in New Jersey describing debts to various casinos, credit card companies and banks. Fielder later filed a libel suit against Gannett, the parent company of The Detroit News, and the lead reporter, Fred Girard, accusing them of slander and defamation of character. The suit sought US$25 million in damages and fees. The trial court dismissed the suit and the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the decision.

Fielder's son Prince is a first baseman, formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers, then with the Detroit Tigers, and now with the Texas Rangers. Fielder was originally involved in his son's professional career, even negotiating his first contract. After a dispute as to whether Cecil should receive a typical agent's fee for negotiating the contract, Prince and his family were no longer on speaking terms with Cecil. In a 2012 interview, Cecil Fielder said that he and Prince had recently begun speaking again, and that their relationship was improving. On September 25, 2007, Prince hit his 50th home run of the season, making Cecil and Prince the only father/son duo in Major League history to each reach the milestone.

In December 2007, Cecil and partner Kundy Gutierrez started a youth baseball organization called The Baseball Legends (TBL Tournaments). TBL Tournaments has grown throughout the United States as one of the premiere youth baseball tournament organizations. TBL Tournaments is known for their summer national event called Cecil Fielder Elite World Series. For more information on his organization, visit TBL Tournaments.

After managing the South Coast League's Charlotte County Redfish in 2007, Fielder became the manager of the Atlantic City Surf of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball in 2008. On March 25, 2011, Fielder was named to the Torrington Titans advisory board.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]