Is Prince Worth the Price?

The recent swing through Fenway Park provided an opportunity to compare two high-profile first basemen.

Adrian Gonzalez was one of the most sought after talents last offseason. Prince Fielder, on the other hand, has put himself in a favorable position to take the baton from Gonzalez next winter with a red hot start out of the gate in 2011. Fielder’s exact market value will fluctuate pending the outcome of the Albert Pujols saga. It should be fairly safe to assume Fielder’s agent Scott Boras will be looking for a Gonzalez type pay day.

Some may scoff at the idea of Fielder receiving a deal in the neighborhood of seven years and $154 million such as the one his counterpart recently inked, but their numbers at the plate are eerily similar.

Over the weekend, the two lefties showed just how similar they are as their two teams squared off in a three-game set. Fielder went 4-10 with a home run and two RBI while Gonzalez was a healthy 5-13 with a home run and three RBI.

Both men are fixtures in their respective lineups during the first portion of their careers, neither missing more than six games in any season after assuming a full-time starting role.  However, it is worth considering that Fielder’s large build may make him injury prone in the future.

Gonzalez holds a slight advantage in the field. His 42 career errors are 14 less than Fielder’s total and his .995 fielding percentage is a shade better than Prince who comes in at .993 for his career. With strikingly comparable numbers Fielder has every right to be seeing green. The only question that remains is: will the pay day be the same? It all comes down to whether there is a team out there this winter that is willing to shell out the big bucks.  Right or wrong, it only takes one owner or general manager who can justify the investment to make it happen.