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Why Prince Fielder is on the Brewers' Mount Rushmore for the past 25 years
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- Why Prince Fielder is on the Brewers' Mount Rushmore for the past 25 years
The Journal Sentinel picked its Mount Rushmore of Milwaukee Brewers players for the 25 years of the Miller Park/American Family Field era. Here is why Prince Fielder is on it.
Prince Fielder
One player in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history has hit more than 45 home runs in a season.
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It was Prince Fielder . And he did it twice.
Fielder's impact on the Brewers goes beyond the homers, but let's be honest: What everyone really loved was a man under 6 feet tall and pushing three bills uncorking a swing unequaled in its violence and sending majestic bombs to the right-field bleachers.
Fielder, over seven seasons in Milwaukee, is third in franchise history with 230 homers. He bopped more than 30 in all but one full season – 2006, when he hit 28. At the age of 23, he led the National League with 50 homers. You may want to read that sentence again to soak up just how incredible that is.
More: Who belongs on the Brewers Mount Rushmore for the past 25 years? Give us your picks
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Ben Sheets of the Milwaukee Brewers watches during batting practice for the 2008 MLB All-Star game July 14, 2008, at Yankee Stadium.
Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun (8) celebrates with third base coach Ed Sedar after hitting a home run against the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 28, 2018, at Miller Park.
Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate the game winner against the Giants at Miller Park on June 27, 2009.
Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Christian Yelich runs into the outfield after scoring the winning run in the Milwaukee Brewers' 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies on Oct. 4, 2018, at Miller Park.
Ben Sheets leaves the game for the last time as a Brewer after giving up 4 runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 27, 2008, at Miller Park.
Milwaukee Brewers Prince Fielder gives Ryan Braun a high-five after Braun's two-run home off the Houston Astros' Geoff Geary in their game at Miller Park in Milwaukee July 26, 2008
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets reacts after the final out of a five-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres on Sept. 6, 2008.
Prince Fielder celebrates his two-run homer run with a high fives agianst the St. Louis Cardinals on June 12, 2011, at Miller Park.
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich hits a solo home run during the first inning of their National League Championship Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 20, 2018, at Miller Park.
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of their National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 20, 2018, at Miller Park. Looking on is Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy.
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich celebrates his home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 20, 2018, at Miller Park.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets shouts after giving up a walk to the Pittsburgh Pirates as Brewer catcher Jason Kendall talks with him on July 4, 2008, at Miller Park.
Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich hits a double against the Chicago Cubs during their National League Division Series game Oct. 8, 2025, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun flexes his muscles after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 10th inning at Miller Park on Sept. 25, 2008.
The Brewers' Ryan Braun celebrates after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run in the 10th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 25, 2008, at Miller Park.
Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun jumps into the arms of teammates after a walk-off grand slam home run against the Pirates in the 10th inning Sept. 25, 2008, at Miller Park.
The Milwaukee Brewers' Prince Fielder hits a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 13, 2011, at Miller Park.
Milwaukee Brewer pitcher Ben Sheets applauds after the final out in the 10th inning of a Brewer 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on opening day of the 2008 season March 31 at Wrigley Field.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun addresses the media during a news conference, Feb. 24, 2012, in Phoenix, a day after his 50-game suspension for a positive drug test was overturned by an arbitrator.
Milwaukee Brewers Ryan Braun, left, and Christian Yelich chat before the Milwaukee Brewers National League Divisional Series game against the Colorado Rockies on Oct. 4, 2018.
Milwaukee Brewers' Ben Sheets pitches against the Houston Astros on Aug. 19, 2008, at Miller Park.
Christian Yelich is checked out by the medical staff after a ball deflected off his leg in a game Sept. 10, 2019, against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park.
Milwaukee Brewers Christian Yelich leaves the interview room on crutches after he spoke during a news conference at Miller Park on Sept. 16, 2019. It was the first time Yelich spoke publicly about his injury that occurred on Sept. 10 when he fouled a pitch off his right knee that broke his kneecap during a game against the Miami Marlins, ending his 2019 season.
Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after he singled in the winning run against the Giants on June 27, 2009, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Ben Sheets of the Milwaukee Brewers watches during batting practice for the 2008 MLB All-Star game July 14, 2008, at Yankee Stadium.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Ben Sheets of the Milwaukee Brewers watches during batting practice for the 2008 MLB All-Star game July 14, 2008, at Yankee Stadium.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun (8) celebrates with third base coach Ed Sedar after hitting a home run against the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 28, 2018, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate the game winner against the Giants at Miller Park on June 27, 2009.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Christian Yelich runs into the outfield after scoring the winning run in the Milwaukee Brewers' 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies on Oct. 4, 2018, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Ben Sheets leaves the game for the last time as a Brewer after giving up 4 runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 27, 2008, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers Prince Fielder gives Ryan Braun a high-five after Braun's two-run home off the Houston Astros' Geoff Geary in their game at Miller Park in Milwaukee July 26, 2008
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets reacts after the final out of a five-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres on Sept. 6, 2008.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Prince Fielder celebrates his two-run homer run with a high fives agianst the St. Louis Cardinals on June 12, 2011, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich hits a solo home run during the first inning of their National League Championship Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 20, 2018, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of their National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 20, 2018, at Miller Park. Looking on is Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich celebrates his home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 20, 2018, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets shouts after giving up a walk to the Pittsburgh Pirates as Brewer catcher Jason Kendall talks with him on July 4, 2008, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich hits a double against the Chicago Cubs during their National League Division Series game Oct. 8, 2025, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun flexes his muscles after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 10th inning at Miller Park on Sept. 25, 2008.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
The Brewers' Ryan Braun celebrates after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run in the 10th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 25, 2008, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun jumps into the arms of teammates after a walk-off grand slam home run against the Pirates in the 10th inning Sept. 25, 2008, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
The Milwaukee Brewers' Prince Fielder hits a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 13, 2011, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewer pitcher Ben Sheets applauds after the final out in the 10th inning of a Brewer 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on opening day of the 2008 season March 31 at Wrigley Field.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun addresses the media during a news conference, Feb. 24, 2012, in Phoenix, a day after his 50-game suspension for a positive drug test was overturned by an arbitrator.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers Ryan Braun, left, and Christian Yelich chat before the Milwaukee Brewers National League Divisional Series game against the Colorado Rockies on Oct. 4, 2018.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers' Ben Sheets pitches against the Houston Astros on Aug. 19, 2008, at Miller Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Christian Yelich is checked out by the medical staff after a ball deflected off his leg in a game Sept. 10, 2019, against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Milwaukee Brewers Christian Yelich leaves the interview room on crutches after he spoke during a news conference at Miller Park on Sept. 16, 2019. It was the first time Yelich spoke publicly about his injury that occurred on Sept. 10 when he fouled a pitch off his right knee that broke his kneecap during a game against the Miami Marlins, ending his 2019 season.
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Best photos of our Mount Rushmore of Brewers' Miller Park AmFam era
Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after he singled in the winning run against the Giants on June 27, 2009, at Miller Park.
Three times over a five-year span, Fielder finished top-four in National League most valuable player voting, including two third-place finishes. The first came after his 50-homer campaign, then he did it again in his final year with the Brewers in 2011 as they won 96 games and reached the NL Championship Series.
His power is unparalleled in Brewers history, but Fielder may have also been the best overall hitter the franchise has ever seen. He wrapped up his time as a Brewer with a .929 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) and 144 OPS+, which weighs a hitter's OPS against the league average and puts it on a scale where 100 is average.
Fielder had incredible plate discipline and walked 566 times while carrying a .390 on-base percentage. He led the NL in walks in 2010.
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Fielder was an ironman, too. Beginning with his rookie year of 2006, Fielder played all but eight out of 972 games. You simply could not take him out of the lineup as a young player – so much so that perhaps his insistence on playing through everything played a role in him having to retire at age 32 due to severe cervical disc herniations in 2016.
Fielder left his share of indelible images as a Brewer, as well. His walk-off home run in the final week of the 2008 regular season helped propel the team back to the playoffs – although that wasn't his most famous walk-off blast. That one came in September 2009 against the San Francisco Giants , which he capped with his iconic bowling ball celebration. Earlier that year, Fielder won the all-star Home Run Derby, and two years later he was named MVP of the All-Star Game in Arizona .
Milwaukee Brewers' first-round draft pick Prince Fielder gets ready for batting practice during pre-game warm-up on June 18, 2002, at Miller Park.
(Elizabeth Flores / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Milwaukee Brewers' Prince Fielder walks back to the dugout after striking out during the 9th inning at Citizens Bank Park, on October 1, 2008.
(Benny Sieu / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Prince Fielder talks with Casey McGehee before the Milwaukee Brewers-Houston Astros MLB baseball game on May 25, 2010.
(Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder celebrate a champagne shower after winning the NL Central Division at Miller Park Friday, September 23, 2011.
(Benny Sieu / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Prince Fielder grounds out during the eighth inning in what could be his last bat as a Brewer on October 16, 2011, at Miller ark in Milwaukee. The Brewers lost to the Cardinals 12-6.
(Tom Lynn / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Prince Fielder puts on his batting glove game during game three of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Milwaukee Stadium in St. Louis MO., on October 12, 2011.
(Tom Lynn / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Prince Fielder most likely takes his last at-bat as a Brewer during the 8th inning hitting a groundout. Afterward, he got a standing ovation from fans as he walked back to the dugout during Game 6 of the National League Championship in Milwaukee where the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 12-6 to advance to the World Series after game six of the NLCS in Milwaukee, on October 16, 2011.
(Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Brewers memorabilia has been a hot commodity ctober, 2011, at Gunderson's Sports Cards in Milwaukee. Pictured are a bobble head of Prince Fielder, as well as a batting helmet and bat, both autographed by Fielder.
(Kristyna Wentz-Graff / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Milwaukee Brewers' first-round draft pick Prince Fielder gets ready for batting practice during pre-game warm-up on June 18, 2002, at Miller Park.
(Elizabeth Flores / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Milwaukee Brewers' first-round draft pick Prince Fielder gets ready for batting practice during pre-game warm-up on June 18, 2002, at Miller Park.
(Elizabeth Flores / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Milwaukee Brewers' Prince Fielder walks back to the dugout after striking out during the 9th inning at Citizens Bank Park, on October 1, 2008.
(Benny Sieu / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Prince Fielder talks with Casey McGehee before the Milwaukee Brewers-Houston Astros MLB baseball game on May 25, 2010.
(Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder celebrate a champagne shower after winning the NL Central Division at Miller Park Friday, September 23, 2011.
(Benny Sieu / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Prince Fielder grounds out during the eighth inning in what could be his last bat as a Brewer on October 16, 2011, at Miller ark in Milwaukee. The Brewers lost to the Cardinals 12-6.
(Tom Lynn / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Prince Fielder puts on his batting glove game during game three of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Milwaukee Stadium in St. Louis MO., on October 12, 2011.
(Tom Lynn / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Prince Fielder most likely takes his last at-bat as a Brewer during the 8th inning hitting a groundout. Afterward, he got a standing ovation from fans as he walked back to the dugout during Game 6 of the National League Championship in Milwaukee where the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 12-6 to advance to the World Series after game six of the NLCS in Milwaukee, on October 16, 2011.
(Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Prince Fielder was among Brewers' most productive and charismatic players ever. Here's a look at his Milwaukee career.
Brewers memorabilia has been a hot commodity ctober, 2011, at Gunderson's Sports Cards in Milwaukee. Pictured are a bobble head of Prince Fielder, as well as a batting helmet and bat, both autographed by Fielder.
(Kristyna Wentz-Graff / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Prince Fielder is on the Brewers' Mount Rushmore for the past 25 years
