Milwaukee Brewers: The Top 5 First Basemen in Franchise History
By Isaac Buttke
![ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 13: Prince Fielder #28 of the Milwaukee Brewers gestures after he hit a double in the top of the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Busch Stadium on October 13, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 13: Prince Fielder #28 of the Milwaukee Brewers gestures after he hit a double in the top of the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Busch Stadium on October 13, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Freviewingthebrew-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2018-2F07-2F129184493-850x560-799b80ed7e3a834ca69b97f1480efe65.jpg)
Number 2: Prince Fielder
Years as a Brewer: 2005-2011
Who could forget Prince Fielder? Fielder was a blue-chip prospect for Milwaukee from the time he was drafted in the first round of the 2002 draft. The son of former big-leaguer Cecil Fielder, Prince was the closest thing to a sure-fire success.
And succeed he did. The younger Fielder pushed his way to the major leagues as a 21 year old in 2005 and blasted 28 homers in his first complete season. A monstrous .929 OPS with the team to go with two All-Star selections, two Silver Slugger awards and three top-five MVP finishes… what’s not to like?
In 2007, Fielder hit 50 home runs, leading the league as a 23 year old. In five full seasons as the starter, Fielder never had an OPS+ below 110 and was as consistent and healthy as they come. Prince had three top 5 MVP finishes as a Brewer.
Well, there are two reasons Fielder isn’t sitting atop this list. For one, as is the case with many other names, he wasn’t in Milwaukee all that long. Six seasons is a relatively long time compared to others on the list, but he bolted for more money as soon as he had the opportunity. Additionally, he was a liability on defense. Fielder ironically was a below-average fielder every season with Milwaukee, averaging 11 errors per season in Milwaukee. Who does that leave as number one, then?