Editing Cecil Fielder (section)

==Detroit Tigers==
On January 15, 1990, Fielder signed a two-year, $3&nbsp;million contract with the [[Detroit Tigers]].<ref name="baseball-reference1" /><ref name="remade">{{cite web |last=Kim |first=Albert |date=May 14, 1990 |title=REMADE IN JAPAN |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1990/05/14/121978/remade-in-japan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006112436/https://www.si.com/vault/1990/05/14/121978/remade-in-japan |archive-date=October 6, 2017 |access-date=May 7, 2018 |website=[[Sports Illustrated]] |df=mdy-all}}</ref> In his first season with the Tigers, Fielder hit .277 while leading the major leagues with 51 home runs and 132 RBI in 159 games.<ref name="baseball-reference1" /> On the last day of the Tigers' season at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]], Fielder hit his 50th and 51st home runs to become the 11th player in MLB history — and only the second in the previous 25 years — to reach the 50 home run plateau.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |date=September 26, 2007 |title=Prince hits 50, but it's 52 he wants to 'shut up' his dad |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3036841 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927203611/http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3036841 |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |access-date=January 9, 2014 |website=[[ESPN]] |df=mdy-all}}</ref> No Tigers player had turned the mark since [[Hank Greenberg]] slugged 58 in 1938, and no Tiger player has reached 50 home runs 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 home runs and RBI, Fielder also led the majors in [[slugging percentage]] (.592) and [[Strikeout|strikeouts]] (182), and he led the [[American League]] in [[total bases]] (339).<ref name="baseball-reference1" /> After the season, he finished as the runner-up for the AL MVP Award.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Muder |first=Craig |title=Henderson named 1990 AL MVP |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/henderson-wins-1990-AL-MVP |access-date=December 30, 2024 |website=[[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]}}</ref> In 1990, Fielder also became the ninth major leaguer to record two three-home run games in a season.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 7, 1990 |title=FIELDER SOME HITTER, LAUNCHES 3 HOMERS |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1990/06/07/fielder-some-hitter-launches-3-homers/ce02442a-8c12-465e-a2f8-9fa27ef361d3/ |access-date=December 30, 2024 |website=[[The Washington Post]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

Fielder enjoyed a successful second season with the Tigers in 1991, batting .261 with 44 home runs and 133 RBI in 162 games.<ref name="baseball-reference1" /> He again led the majors in home runs and RBI,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=1991 Awards Voting |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1991.shtml |access-date=December 30, 2024 |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> and 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).<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 18, 2013 |title=Cabrera belts 40th, Scherzer wins No. 18 as Tigers roll |url=http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/recap/MLB_20130818_KC@DET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195437/http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/recap/MLB_20130818_KC@DET |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=August 21, 2013 |website=[[CBS Sports]]}}</ref> Fielder was again the runner-up in the AL MVP balloting for the second consecutive year.<ref name=":0" /> 

On January 29, 1992, Fielder avoided [[salary arbitration]] by agreeing to a one-year, $4.5{{nbsp}}million contract, which at the time set a record for highest salary by an arbitration-eligible player.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 29, 1992 |title=Tigers' Fielder gets his windfall |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1992/01/29/tigers-fielder-gets-his-windfall/ |access-date=December 30, 2024 |website=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |language=en}}</ref> Fielder responded by hitting 35 home runs and leading the league in RBI (124) for the third consecutive season, becoming the first American Leaguer since [[Babe Ruth]] to do so.<ref name="baseball-reference1" /><ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Cecil Fielder |url=https://baseballbiography.com/cecil-fielder |access-date=January 9, 2014 |website=Baseball Biography |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

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 [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|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).<ref name="baseball-reference1">{{cite web |title=Cecil Fielder Statistics and History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fieldce01.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008061245/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fieldce01.shtml |archive-date=October 8, 2018 |access-date=January 9, 2014 |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cecil Fielder Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=fieldce01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117045107/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=fieldce01 |archive-date=January 17, 2014 |access-date=January 9, 2014 |website=[[Baseball Almanac]] |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In his six-year tenure with Detroit, Fielder had four consecutive 30-homer and 100-RBI seasons. He had 28 home runs and 90 RBIs in 109 games during the 1994 season before it was ended by a player strike, denying him a chance to extend his accomplishments to a fifth season.<ref name="baseball-reference1" /> He also became the first Tiger to hit at least 25 home runs 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Most Home Runs From 1990 To 1995 |url=https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/most-home-runs-from-1990-to-1995 |access-date=December 30, 2024 |website=[[StatMuse]] |language=en}}</ref>

Fielder was a member of the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Team]] in 1990, 1991, and 1993.<ref name="baseball-reference1" /> Fielder was named "Tiger of the Year" by the Detroit chapter of the [[Baseball Writers' Association of America|BBWAA]] in 1990, 1991, and 1992. He is the only player to receive the award three consecutive years.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 24, 2013 |title=Tigers Awards |url=http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/history/awards.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724133801/http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/history/awards.jsp |archive-date=July 24, 2011 |access-date=January 9, 2014 |website=[[Detroit Tigers]] |publisher=[[MLB.com]]}}</ref>

On January 8, 1993, Fielder signed a five-year, $36{{nbsp}}million contract with the Tigers;<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 8, 1993 |title=FIELDER AGREES TO $36 MILLION, 5-YEAR CONTRACT |url=https://www.deseret.com/1993/1/8/19025555/fielder-agrees-to-36-million-5-year-contract/ |access-date=December 30, 2024 |website=[[Deseret News]] |language=en |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> which made him the [[List of highest paid baseball players#Annual salaries by year|highest paid player in baseball]] for two seasons (1995 and 1996).<ref>{{cite web |date=April 24, 2003 |title=Cecil Fielder |url=http://everything2.com/title/Cecil+Fielder |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109004702/http://everything2.com/title/Cecil+Fielder |archive-date=January 9, 2014 |access-date=January 9, 2014 |website=Everything2 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Fielder had a reputation for being a slow baserunner. In 1996, he 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 (baseball)|hit and run]]. He stole another base that season as well, and finished his career with two stolen bases over 13 seasons and 1,470 games.<ref name="baseball-reference1" /> 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 (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]] (the other three are [[Harmon Killebrew]], [[Frank Howard (baseball)|Frank Howard]] and [[Mark McGwire]]). He hit the homer off [[Oakland Athletics]] pitcher [[Dave Stewart (baseball)|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 [[Atlanta Braves|Braves]]' Milwaukee history (1953–1965) or [[Milwaukee Brewers|Brewers]]' park history (1970–2000). It was hit off the Brewers' [[Dan Plesac]] on September 14, 1991.<ref name=":1" />
Fielder played his final season for the Tigers in 1996, batting .248 with 26 home runs and 80 RBI in 107 games before being traded.<ref name="baseball-reference1" />