Prince Fielder Gives Detroit Tigers Missing Piece Needed to Win World Series

If Detroit Tigers fans wondered if Prince Fielder’s nine-year, $214 million contract would be worth it, Fielder put an abrupt halt to those worries, during the Tigers season-opening four-game winning streak.

In his first four games donning the old English D, Fielder has gone 6-for-15 (.417) with two home runs, four RBIs and six runs scored.

Fielder has also impacted his equally portly bash brother Miguel Cabrera, who is now protected by Fielder hitting behind him. To open the season, Cabrera has gone 6-for-13 (.472) with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski has quietly been assembling pieces to what he hopes will become a world championship puzzle, but there has always been a piece or two missing.The Tigers advanced to the ALCS last season, but prior to 2011, Detroit had only made the playoffs once since 1987.

Something needed to change.

On Jan. 17, the Tigers announced Victor Martinez, who hit .330 with 12 home runs and 103 RBIs in his first year in Detroit, would likely miss the 2012 season with an ACL tear, so the Tigers went hunting for a suitable slugging replacement.

"It's kind of like a sock in the gut. You have to be resilient. After you feel sorry for yourself for a day or two, you move on," Dombrowski told USA Today in January. "Opening Day is not until April 5, we have plenty of time to deal with the situation. We don't have to rush out there and do something immediately. You have to digest things and adjust accordingly.”

Detroit, which needed to replace Martinez’s production, and perhaps as equally important, give Cabrera protection, considered available free agents: Carlos Pena, Vladimir Guerrero and Juan Pierre, but none of them fit the mold Dombrowski envisioned.

After a light-hearted, half-serious ploy from Justin Verlander to acquire Fielder, Dombrowski reconsidered his original dismissal of the big free agent, and owner Mike Illitch opened his wallet. The Tigers signed Fielder on Jan. 26 for approximately $23 million per year.

Once the business was done, the excitement set in. It became realistic that the heart of the Tigers order would boast two perennial 25-home run, 100-RBI sluggers.

The most surprised person in the clubhouse may have been the one at the helm. Manager Jim Leyland said he wasn't expecting the Tigers to make such a big splash, especially as quickly as they did.

"To me, this was probably the most unbelievable thing that's ever happened to me in baseball—to lose a guy like Victor Martinez, and within 10 days, sign a guy like Prince Fielder," Leyland said during an interview with Baseball Tonight on Feb. 28. "I've never had anything like that happen to me."

Some doubters surfaced though, arguing Fielder’s weight would hinder his ability to play every day at first base and he wouldn’t be worth roughly $142,000 per game, especially because he will be 36 before his contract is up. And concern grew that Cabrera wouldn’t be able to adjust to a switch to third base.

But the numbers don’t lie.

Since 2006 when he became an every day player, Fielder has missed just 13 games. In his career, he has 1,002 hits in 3,542 at bats. He averages 29 home runs per year, and in four of the last five seasons, he’s recorded at least 102 RBIs.

Cabrera has played 391 career games at third base, and has committed just 49 errors at the hot corner. He played 157 games at third for the Marlins in 2006, committing 17 errors. He’s more than adequate, defensively at third base.

The Fielder affect goes beyond just Cabrera in front of him. His presence makes his whole team better.

While opposing pitchers are facing Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch, first and second in the lineup, they know that if either get on base, Cabrera and Fielder are looming and can clear the bases in a hurry. And with the increased production at the top, the bottom of the order will almost assuredly improve with the heavy traffic (no pun intended) in front of them.

The Tigers modern day murderer’s row is set offensively, but a run to the World Series can’t get far without a stout effort on the mound.

Detroit has that covered as well.

One through four, the Tigers might have the best rotation in baseball, headed by reigning American League Cy Young and MVP Justin Verlander.

Verlander had the season of his life a year ago, going 25-4 with a 2.40 ERA, 250 strikeouts and just 57 walks in 251 innings. The 29-year-old also threw his second career no hitter against Toronto on May 7.

Before the 2011 trading deadline, the Tigers acquired the second fist of what has become their one-two punch, in 28-year-old Doug Fister. In 11 appearances last season (10 starts) for Detroit, Fister went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA, 57 strikeouts and just five walks.

Behind Fister in the rotation are Max Scherzer (27) and Rick Porcello (23).

Scherzer started hot last season going 9-2 with a 4.32 ERA through 15 starts, and despite cooling off the rest of the 2011season, he remains a reliable No. 3 starter.

Porcello is already in his fourth full year with the Tigers. He went 14-9 last season with a 4.75 ERA. Porcello is still developing and despite a performance to forget in four postseason appearances last year, he provides a dependable fourth option on the hill.

The biggest question mark is the No. 5 starter. 22-year-old Drew Smyly won the job in Spring Training, but the rookie, who made his first career Triple-A start on Saturday, is unproven against big league talent.

The 68th overall draft selection of the Tigers in 2010 started seven games last season for Double-A Erie, and went 4-3 with a 1.18 ERA. Smyly earned the last rotation spot over Duane Below this spring, and will just need to stabilize the back end of the rotation and keep his team competitive in games he starts.

After four games this season, Detroit ranks No. 1 in the A.L. in team batting average, on-base percentage and slugging, is No. 2 in total runs scored and has given up the fifth-least runs in the league. The Tigers are one of the most complete teams in baseball, and are expected to run away with their second consecutive A.L. Central division title.

Expectations have never been higher in Detroit, and at this point, anything less than an appearance in the Fall Classic, would be a disappointment.

Baseball is all about assembling the right pieces to a championship puzzle. When they signed Fielder, Dombrowski, Illitch and the Tigers found the biggest piece, and most importantly, the perfect piece to win their first World Series since 1984.