He was promoted to the Beloit Snappers that year and finished the season with the Midwest League club with a .241 average and a quieted bat that knocked out three more dingers on the year.
Indications were that this would be a breathing point on the express to the majors. He was reassigned to Beloit for 2003. He found his stride, batting .313 for the season, banging in 27 home runs and 112 RBIs with a .526 slugging percentage.
He was given a taste of the major leagues that year. In just seven at-bats he still cleared a .286 average and his first major league RBI.
In 2004 he was promoted to Huntsville of the Southern League, where he had a .272 season with 23 home runs and 78 RBIs. He had a base stealing jones, nabbing 11 for the season, refreshing for a big guy who's a power hitter.
2005 brought another promotion, this time to the AAA Nashville Sounds, where he's had a .286 average that includes an impressive 26 home runs and 83 RBIs. Promoted to the big leagues on June 13th of 2005, he's had a .321 average on 28 at-bats. The majors may be a bit of a lull-point though, as the prince of pop has only one dinger in the majors thus far.
Not a stellar first baseman, he's not exactly a liability either. Like many at the position, it's the bat, not the glove that makes this player.
Some pubs have tried to tie the personal problems of Prince's pop to the son's career. Thus far, they show no signs on his performance on the field, and we'd like to send a hearty mind your own business to the prurient purveyors of pessimism in the major league press who can't find much better to write about one of the astounding prospects in baseball.
With Overbay around, and the Brew Crew not ashamed of making a good trade for players, considerations, or cash, it is still a decent possibility that Fielder goes into the deal pile.
Prince is too valuable a player to leave sitting around on the farm clubs for another year. Between the talk we hear that involves his name, and his performances with the Sounds and Brewers to date, we think he's a very active candidate for a big league career, if not with Milwaukee, then somewhere.
He jumps 11 to our number 5 spot in the MLN FAB50™ 2005 Baseball rankings.
See Also: MLN FAB50™ 2004; MLN Players of the Year 2003
