Fielder arrives to Rangers camp healthy, homer-happy

In the beat writers’ zest to draw up the Texas Rangers’ 2015 batting order, three days before the position players’ first official workout of spring training, attention turned Monday to where Prince Fielder is going to hit.

Manager Jeff Banister didn’t have a definitive answer, and didn’t seem particularly concerned where he sticks Fielder. Just the simple fact that the slugger was on his feet and swinging a bat some 50 feet away was all that Banister really cared about.

Fielder checked in for Rangers camp Monday morning, taking batting practice with the three other hitters who figure to fill out the meat of the Rangers’ lineup and driving several balls beyond the fences at Nolan Ryan Field at the Surprise Recreation Campus.

Fielder looked somewhat different than he did a year ago, with a relatively leaner physique, more hair growing from his chin, and a few new scars from the cervical-fusion surgery that cut short his 2014 season.

The surgery also has cast doubt on his future and the Rangers’ chances in 2015. Fielder is the player who will most impact the lineup, which figures to click if he is hitting homers with regularity.

If not, well, Fielder didn’t go there. No reason, he said, because he feels like he did when he was pocketing 30- and 40-homer seasons not too long ago.

“I would say so, because I’ve done it before,” Fielder said. “If I’ve done it before, it’s realistic in my eyes. I’m 100 percent. That’s they key. I feel good. Nothing’s hurting, so it’s all good.”

Banister didn’t pinpoint where Fielder would hit, saying only the first baseman will be in the middle of the lineup. That could be anywhere from third, where he hit last season, to fifth.

Fielder likes the idea of hitting third ahead of Adrian Beltre, even though Fielder has batted fourth for the vast majority of hit career. Fielder just likes the idea of playing and hitting with a left arm that isn’t numb or debilitated by weakness.

All those grounders last season into shifts on the right side of the field, and a mere three homers in 150 at-bats, were the result. At times, he was barely able to hold onto the bat during one of his power swings.

“I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t want to open my mouth,” said Fielder, who will be a full-go for the first full-squad workout Thursday. “I wanted to play. Once it got to the point where I was losing grip and my arm started getting more numb, I got a little worried. I couldn’t do anything, not with one arm.”

Fielder, Beltre and Shin-Soo Choo, though not necessarily in that order, figure to be the three big bats in the middle of the Rangers’ lineup, with Mitch Moreland a possibility to bat sixth.

Having Fielder in the mix, after missing 120 games last season, will have an effect on the entire lineup, Banister said, but Beltre could be the biggest beneficiary if Fielder hits behind him.

“I’m sure Adrian would love to have Prince hitting behind him, and I’m sure Prince would love to have Adrian hitting behind him,” Banister said.

“When you have a hitter the caliber of Prince Fielder in your lineup, it enables the rest of the team to slide into spots where their skill set best fits. I’d like to be able to find a spot for [Beltre and Fielder] that they like and where they work best.

“When it comes down to it, you have three guys you really like right in the middle of the lineup that drive your run-scoring opportunities, you’d like those spots to remain as consistent as they can.”

Fielder would like to stay on the field in 2015. He was angry when he first learned that he would need major surgery, and then he missed the camaraderie with his teammates as he recovered.

The Rangers would like to see Fielder stay on the field, too. He’s the hitter who will have the biggest impact on their season.

“This is probably the most excited I’ve been for spring since my first one,” Fielder said. “I’m very happy that I’m healthy and just happy that I’m out here.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2015 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Fielder arrives to Rangers camp healthy, homer-happy."