CSS Button No Image Css3Menu.com

Baseball Prospectus home
  
  
Click here to log in Click here to subscribe
<< Previous Article
Premium Article Advance Scouting Serie... (10/04)
<< Previous Column
Premium Article Advance Scouting Serie... (10/04)
Next Column >>
Premium Article Advance Scouting Serie... (10/04)
Next Article >>
Premium Article Advance Scouting Serie... (10/04)

October 4, 2013

Advance Scouting Series

Prince Fielder

by Mark Anderson

the archives are now free.

All Baseball Prospectus Premium and Fantasy articles more than a year old are now free as a thank you to the entire Internet for making our work possible.

Not a subscriber? Get exclusive content like this delivered hot to your inbox every weekday. Click here for more information on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or use the buttons to the right to subscribe and get instant access to the best baseball content on the web.

Subscribe for $4.95 per month
Recurring subscription - cancel anytime.


a 33% savings over the monthly price!

Purchase a $39.95 gift subscription
a 33% savings over the monthly price!

Already a subscriber? Click here and use the blue login bar to log in.

Advance Scouting Report

Filed by: Mark Anderson, Jr.

Player Name: Prince Fielder

Context: 10 Games; 9/19/13 to 9/29/13

PA

AB

H

1st P

K

BB

TB

Hard

AVE

OBP

SLG

OPS

TOTALS

39

34

9

12

3

4

15

12

.265

.359

.441

.800

Sample vs. Season:

Comparable overall numbers (AVG, OBP, SLG) to full-season output; walk rate remained consistent in sample; strikeout rate cut in half during observed sample; appeared tired overall with contact-focused approach.

SCOUTING BREAKDOWN

Physical/Health:

Round body; shorter than typical 1B; exceptionally strong but masked by hulking physique that looks largely out of shape and like a beer league softball player; no known injuries; looks worn down; has played 162 games in four of last five seasons and workload may be taking a toll.

Hit Tool

Simple setup and trigger; consistent hand position; path to the zone is short, lightning fast and extremely consistent; excellent bat speed; shows ability to pull the hands in and snap the bat through the zone; never gets cheated with swing; solid pitch recognition and willingness to wait for pitchers to make a mistake, though is willing to swing early if he likes it; minimal situational adjustment to swing but still has contact ability in all counts; has some miss in the swing; can use the opposite field and will go that way when pitched away; occasional spurts as plus or better hitter; consistently above-average hitter that is dangerous in all situations against all types of pitchers. -- Grade: 5+

vs. LHP

vs. RHP

Sees the ball surprisingly well from LHP; still works at-bats well against same-side pitching; approach remains patient but becomes more contact oriented; will get over-eager late in at-bats and try to do too much; will swing through breaking balls; dangerous hitter but can be pitched to.

Patient and powerful against RHP; makes more contact; displays more confidence in willingness to lay off borderline secondary pitches; gets more aggressive with swing when ahead in count and looks to punish the ball; classic power hitter that stings the ball against RHP.

Notable At-bats

Date

Description

9/19/13

First inning vs. Paxton (LHP); FB heavy at-bat; mixed two CB and one CH among ten pitches; everything was worked away; hitter rolled over several yielding groundballs foul; FC ground out to 2B on CH; demonstrated one of few ways to exploit hitter by consistently working away as same-side arm.

9/21/13

First and seventh inning vs. Sale (LHP); Steady diet of SL; frequently started in the zone and finishing out of the zone low or away; results of six SL in two AB – 3 swinging strikes; 1 called strike, 1 ball, 1 ball in play (out); hitter can struggle with quality breaking stuff from LHP.

9/24/13

Second inning vs. Diamond (LHP); lined 4-seam FB up and away at 90 mph to LF for single; demonstrates plate coverage of hitter with ability to hit balls hard in all parts of the zone.

Power

Power output down in 2013; still possesses near-elite raw power; most of power comes to pull side but has bat speed/strength to drive the ball out to the opposite field; even slightly mis-hit balls can get out of the park; swing will approach uppercut at times when player sells out for power; typical swing is violent but results in hard line drive contact from gap to gap; rarely sells out for power and does not need to; traditional power hitter; though output may be slightly reduced, raw power is still blatant. – Grade: 7

vs. LHP

vs. RHP

Maintains aggressive swing and electric bat speed but willingness to make contact and use the whole field appears elevated; stays in well and still drives the ball consistently; power threat is decreased against same-side arms but still evident.

Frequently unloads on the ball versus RHP; very aggressive swings are routine; approach is a touch more patient, allowing for more aggression as favorable accounts may be more frequent; serious power threat every time he steps in the box against RHP.

Notable At-bats

Date

Description

9/20/13

First inning vs. Axelrod (RHP); runners on second and third; one out; aggressive swings with appearance of selling out for power; well-sequenced (CB-CH-FB-CB) at-bat; success against hitter despite middling raw stuff because of location away and low, and sequence; evidence that hitter can be susceptible to situations where he wants to ramp up for power and can be successfully pitched around with good sequence and location.

Speed/ Baserunning

No threat to run; bottom-of-the-scale runner; shows a little better once underway; moves base-to-base well but is stretched when asked to take extra bases, even on gap shots by teammates; poor and often unpredictable sliding technique that can put other players at risk; rarely pinch run for late in games; speed is not part of his game; can almost ignore hitter once on base.

Conclusions and Means of Attack

Versus LHP: Approach becomes contact oriented with less uppercut and more focus on using opposite field; can be pitched with quality breaking balls low and away; after setting up with breaking balls, FB in and just off plate can induce weak contact; elevated FB from same-side arm can get swing and miss at times; work consistently away for greatest potential of success.

Versus RHP: Sequence is important; likes to try to control pace of at-bats against RHP; dictating pace can throw him off a bit; working away can lead to some success; sees elevated FB from RHP better than LHP and can drive it; will lose vertical breaking ball on back foot and swing over top of it; should not face RHP late in games as potential for hard contact/power is too great.

Overall: Typically patient approach becomes scattered late in games; tends to get more aggressive in at-bats as games progress and will swing earlier in counts; staying away from FB between thigh and letters is important; can square velocity from knees to shoulders; working the ladder is typically unsuccessful as hitter adjusts quickly; must work side-to-side and provide different pitch looks for success; keep contact to opposite field and minimize damage to singles.

Matchup Stats at a Glance

First Pitch Swing

12/39; 30.8 percent

Bunt Threat (Sac, Push, Drag)

Did not show bunt.

Defensive Positioning

Play to pull; rarely goes down 3B line in the infield; slide 3B to standard SS positioning; move SS up the middle or slightly past 2B; 2B play deep and in the hole; 1B toward the line.

Outfield

Straight up; normal depth.

Splits

vs. LHP

.292/.360/.459

vs. RHP

.271/.364/.455

Mark Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
Click here to see Mark's other articles. You can contact Mark by clicking here

Related Content:  Scouting,  Detroit Tigers,  Advance Series

1 comment has been left for this article.

<< Previous Article
Premium Article Advance Scouting Serie... (10/04)
<< Previous Column
Premium Article Advance Scouting Serie... (10/04)
Next Column >>
Premium Article Advance Scouting Serie... (10/04)
Next Article >>
Premium Article Advance Scouting Serie... (10/04)

RECENTLY AT BASEBALL PROSPECTUS
Playoff Prospectus: Come Undone
BP En Espanol: Previa de la NLCS: Cubs vs. D...
Playoff Prospectus: How Did This Team Get Ma...
Playoff Prospectus: Too Slow, Too Late
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: PECOTA Odds and ALCS Gam...
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: PECOTA Odds and NLCS Gam...
Playoff Prospectus: NLCS Preview: Cubs vs. D...

MORE FROM OCTOBER 4, 2013
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: NLDS Game Two Preview: P...
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: NLDS Game Two Preview: D...
Advance Scouting Series: Yoenis Cespedes
Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Miguel Cabrera
Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Josh Donaldson
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: ALDS Preview: Tigers at ...
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: ALDS Preview: Rays at Re...

MORE BY MARK ANDERSON
2014-02-20 - Premium Article Top Tools: Best Speed/Makeup
2014-02-19 - Top Tools: Best Hit/Power
2013-10-04 - Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Miguel Cabrera
2013-10-04 - Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Prince Fielder
2013-09-18 - Premium Article Transaction Analysis: McDonald's Grimace
2013-09-13 - Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: September 13, 2013
2013-09-13 - Premium Article Covering the Call-Ups, Part Two
More...

MORE ADVANCE SCOUTING SERIES
2013-10-07 - Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Adrian Gonzalez
2013-10-04 - Advance Scouting Series: Yoenis Cespedes
2013-10-04 - Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Miguel Cabrera
2013-10-04 - Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Prince Fielder
2013-10-04 - Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Josh Donaldson
2013-10-03 - Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Yasiel Puig
2013-10-03 - Premium Article Advance Scouting Series: Justin Upton
More...