The Texas Rangers have the best record in the American League, and they've mostly done it without Prince Fielder.
Oh, sure, Fielder has been around, appearing in 72 of the Rangers' 76 games. But for much of that time, he hasn't resembled the lineup-anchoring power hitter Texas expects him to be.
Lately, however, the six-time All-Star and son of former big league basher Cecil Fielder is showing signs of life.
If he keeps it up, it could be the secret ingredient that pushes the Rangers over the top and cements their Junior Circuit supremacy.
First, the bad news: Fielder is hitting a scant .211 on the season with a .622 OPS. Entering play on Sunday, his wins above replacement (WAR) sat at a career-worst minus-1.7.
Those aren't merely bad numbers, they're atrocious. And they would have almost assuredly glued a less established—or less well-paid—player to the bench weeks ago.
The Rangers, however, have kept the faith in Fielder. Or maybe they fear, as ESPN.com's David Schoenfield speculated, that "a sulking and unhappy Fielder—a potential scenario if he's benched—won't be a positive for the clubhouse."
Either way, Fielder has finally begun to reward the team's patience.
Dating back to June 17, he's hit safely in eight straight games. On Sunday, he cracked his second home run in three days in a 6-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.
It's a brief stretch, admittedly, and could easily be an anomalous blip in an otherwise impotent season. Hope is hope, though, and Fielder and the Rangers will take it.
"You see the at-bats are controlled, and I think he's gained more confidence every game with his swing, with his stroke, with his approach," Texas manager Jeff Banister said of his veteran slugger, per Ryan Posner and Ian Browne of MLB.com.
After missing most of the 2014 season to neck surgery, Fielder hit .305 with 23 homers and 98 RBI a year ago. So it's not entirely implausible the 32-year-old could be cooking up a season-resuscitating hot streak.
Then again, between the 2014 injury and this year's futility, Fielder's tenure in Texas has been largely about disappointment.
This isn't the guy the Rangers thought they were getting when they shipped fan-favorite second baseman Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers in November 2013. It's certainly not the guy they'd choose to pay $18 million annually through 2020, which is what they'll do regardless of Fielder's stat line.
Again, we'll need a lot more than a decent eight-game stretch before we buy this comeback. The Rangers, though, already sit at 49-27 and hold a commanding 10-game lead over the Houston Astros in the AL West.
Plus, they've got 22-year-old masher Joey Gallo marinating in Triple-A, where he's bashed 14 home runs, seven doubles and three triples through 48 games.
Clearly, they don't need vintage Fielder to defend their division title. He sure would help, though.
If Fielder keeps raking, he'd boost a lineup that already ranks third in the Junior Circuit in runs scored thanks to contributions from the likes of outfielder and free-agent bargain Ian Desmond, second baseman and amateur boxer Rougned Odor, veteran Adrian Beltre and rookie standout Nomar Mazara.
The Rangers are also hoping to get right-hander Yu Darvish back after neck and shoulder issues hampered his return from Tommy John surgery.
If that happens, and if Fielder's recent uptick is for real, it could be the equivalent of Texas adding a pair of impact players at the trade deadline.
There are other worthy opponents in the AL, including the surging Cleveland Indians in the Central and the powerful Baltimore Orioles in the East. Really, in a league leveled by parity, it's tough to pick a clear favorite.
Texas is in the running, though. And each authoritative Fielder swing gets it closer.
"I'm just hitting the ball harder," Fielder said, per Chris James of NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. "Making more contact, swinging at better pitches. That's about it."
Sounds so simple when he puts it like that. Indeed, Fielder's home run Sunday had an eye-opening exit velocity of 111 mph, as James noted. Add his .228 batting average on balls in play, and it's possible he's been the victim of a little bad luck as well.
These are merely signs, but they're positive ones. Keep stacking them on top of one another, and we might be looking at a trend.
The Rangers have gotten where they are mostly without Prince Fielder. Now, imagine where they could be with him.
All statistics current as of June 26 and courtesy of MLB.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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