As some of you may know, I’m from the greater Detroit metro area and have been watching the main sports teams in this city for a very long time. Naturally, being around the city and some of the fans you hear a lot of different rumors about players on the teams. Most of them are hard to ever confirm and I rarely every try to, but again I can’t help but hear things given my location.
So when the topic of Prince Fielder’s struggles with the Tigers came up, I had been hearing for awhile that perhaps there were some marital issues going on that were distracting him on the field. Nothing ever concrete that I could report on, but now we have some information that may shed some light on why Prince was a shell of himself in the playoffs.
This is a rumor courtesy of Diamond Hoggers and it’s important to remember that it’s just that, a rumor. But, I’ll elaborate on why it could hold some validity after you read for yourself.
I am approached by a friend who played sports professionally. He’s got roots in the Detroit area and knows a lot of guys who know a lot of guys. He also knows I’m big into baseball and knows I run this site. He asks me if know how Miguel Cabrera really got re-injured last season. I tell him no. He tells me that he didn’t believe this rumor when he first heard it, but it was so interesting he decided to check it with a second person who would definitely know. He did, and they confirmed this. He then hits me with it:
- Avasail Garcia was sleeping with Prince Fielder’s wife this past season.
- When Miguel Cabrera and the team caught wind of what was going on, there was a clubhouse fight. Miggy was sticking up for Fielder and approached Avasail about it in the clubhouse. In this scuffle, Cabrera re-injures himself.
- Team quickly trades Garcia in order to cut out the cyst in the clubhouse. And to separate him from Fielder’s wife of course.
- Fielder was traded this offseason partially to go in a different direction and make sure that the chemistry wasn’t offset again this coming season. Translation: Fielder’s wife can screw whoever she wants. She’s the Rangers’ problem now.
- I don’t care enough to look into it, but apparently Fielder said there was still sour grapes at least on his end for him being traded from the Tigers. He wasn’t completely over it and was bothered by it because he thinks it was for the wrong reasons. Here’s his introductory presser with the Tigers that I don’t care enough to read body language in right now.
There are pros and cons as to whether or not this is true.
PROS: – Again, there were rumors flying throughout the city that Fielder & his wife were having some type of issues and that’s why he looked so bad on the field.
– Miguel Cabrera did sustain a significant groin injury that limited him in the playoffs. He subsequently had to have surgery this off-season.
– It would explain why the Tigers were so ready to cut ties with Prince in just the 2nd season of his monster 9-year, $214 million deal.
– It could be the reason behind Avasial Garcia being traded quickly in the middle of a very good team season.
– Cabrera & Fielder are great friends. Makes sense why he would allegedly confront Avasial.
But if you ask me personally, there are some valid cons that make this hard to believe.
CONS: – Shortstop Johnny Peralta was suspended for 50 games for his connection to Biogenesis. Avasail Garcia was traded for infield help.
– You would think that a clubhouse fight of that significance would leak to the media at some point. Especially if the team’s best player was injured in it.
– Given Prince’s disappearance in the last two post-seasons, the Tigers were just looking to shed his monster contract for flexibility with both Cabrera and Scherzer up for extensions soon.
Ultimately it’s on you to decide whether or not you believe the report and draw your own conclusions from it. It could be true, but there are valid baseball reasons as to why these moves were made so it makes it a true toss up.
We’ll probably never know the truth, but Prince Fielder’s disappearance on the field will forever puzzle me.
