Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder has played just two full seasons in the Major Leagues, but it's safe to say he has the respect of his peers.
Fielder was named Outstanding Player in the National League in balloting for the 2007 Players Choice Awards, which were voted on by major league players and announced today on Yahoo! Sports.
Fielder, 23, led the NL in homers and slugging percentage and was a major factor in the Brewers' second-place finish in the Central Division. Fielder finished with 50 homers, 119 RBI, a .288 batting average and a .618 slugging percentage.
New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was named Outstanding Player in the American League. Rodriguez, a seven-time winner of the award, hit 54 homers, drove in 156 runs, scored 143 runs, slugged .645 and had an on-base percentage of .425.
Players Choice Awards annually recognize the best player, pitcher, rookie and comeback player in each league. The Player of the Year and Man of the Year awards bestow top honors without regard to league. Balloting of all Major League players for the Players Choice Awards was conducted in September under the supervision of accounting firm KPMG.
Each 2007 Players Choice Award winner will recommend the charity of his choice to receive a grant from the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Since 1992, the Players Trust has contributed more than $3 million dollars to charities around the world in honor of Players Choice Award winners.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
