Fielder vs. Fielder
Who Had the Better Career, Cecil or Prince?
Yesterday, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that Prince Fielder’s career is coming to an end.
He was once a beacon of consistency, missing only 13 games from 2006 to 2013, but chronic neck issues that required two surgeries ultimately cut down his playing time and cost him his career.
With Prince Fielder declared medically disabled, he coincidentally will end his career with the exact same number of home runs as his father, former big league slugger Cecil Fielder.
It’s a bittersweet irony that Prince ends his run tied with his father in the category that made them both famous, especially since the two reportedly reconnected last year after a prolonged estrangement. From their size and penchant for power to manning first base in Detroit, the two were near carbon copies on the diamond. However, with Prince’s numbers now final, we can examine their statistics to see which Fielder had the more productive career.
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Apart from the tied home runs, Prince beats his dad in pretty much every other career total. He has 332 more hits, 154 more walks, 124 more extra-base hits and a slim lead with 20 more RBI.
However, Prince’s totals are helped by the fact that he played 141 more games and accumulated 914 more plate appearances.
Still, even when you account for the difference in playing time, the younger Fielder mostly comes out on top. His career batting average is 28 points higher and his on-base percentage is 37 points higher. Even power categories like OPS and slugging favor Prince.
The elder Fielder still has an advantage in pure power, though. His isolated power is four points higher and since he hit the same amount of homers in fewer at-bats, his at-bats per home run ratio is the better of the two.
From an individual season perspective, Cecil never matched Prince’s 141 RBI in 2007, but Prince never matched Cecil’s 51 home runs in 1990 (even though he got close with 50 in 2007). And even though Prince matched his father with 6 seasons with over 30 homers, Prince never put up a stat as significant as Cecil’s 51 in 1990 — as it broke a 13-year drought for players with 50+ home runs in a season.
But if you look at who was generally more productive with all factors considered, the advantage clearly goes to Prince. By using weighted runs created plus (wRC+), we can see the number of offensive runs each has contributed to his teams per plate appearance, adjusted for league and park. By this metric, Prince comes out on top.
While Prince’s overall statistics may be better, dad still has a major trump card. Even though Prince had nearly 100 more postseason at-bats, he struggled mightily in the playoffs. Cecil wasn’t exactly Mr. October, but he was able to accomplish something his son never did when he won a World Series ring with the 1996 Yankees.
Regardless of which Fielder you think earned the upper hand in this contrived family rivalry, the two will join the Bonds and the Griffeys as one of the best father/son combos in major league history.
