Motown Mashers Mar 9, 2012 | More

The last Detroit Tiger to hit more than 50 home runs in a season was Cecil Fielder in 1990. This record may be in jeopardy by Fielder’s own flesh and blood after son Prince Fielder’s blockbuster nine-year, $214 million deal. After rumors that the Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers were the frontrunners for Fielder’s services, the Detroit Tigers were the surprise choice. With veteran Victor Martinez potentially lost for the entire season after a torn ACL during the offseason, Detroit decided to take a chance on Fielder to replace the fallen slugger. Detroit’s owner may have quietly had his eye on Fielder for a while as he used to watch his new first basemen take batting practice as a youngster with his father Cecil more than 20 years ago. At age 83, owner Mike Ilitch has shown his team and fans that winning a World Series is the top priority, and Fielder will be a key component to accomplishing this goal.

With Cy Young Winner and MVP Justin Verlander leading the rotation, and the dynamic duo of Fielder and Miguel Cabrera smashing opposing pitching, Detroit will be the favorite to retain the AL Central title. However, the bigger question may be whether Fielder can help the Tigers get over the playoff hump by knocking off AL powerhouses Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, both of which have ended Detroit’s postseason hopes over the last two seasons.

What should fantasy owners expect from this monster acquisition? First, Cabrera is slated to take over third base duties, which will be added to his position eligibility. With third base moderately shallow, Cabrera’s position jumped several slots to the very top of fantasy rankings charts alongside Albert Pujols. Jose Bautista has now fallen to the No. 2 third basemen off the board. Second, Fielder’s stat line should be very similar to Milwaukee where Ryan Braun hit in front of him. He has displayed power to all fields and should pull several line drive home runs over the shallow 330-foot right field fence with ease. Fielder has been very durable throughout his career and is rumored to also see time at designated hitter to keep him fresh. In regards to draft position, Cabrera is a model of consistency and should be one of the first two picks off the board, while Fielder can be taken in the early-to-middle second round due to a generous supply of first basemen. I will conclude by predicting Cabrera and Fielder’s fantasy values this season – in the words of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger, “They’re Greaaaattt!”