Most players going for a .300 average in their final at-bat of the regular season would do just about anything for a hit. Not Prince Fielder, though. In his final 2011 regular season AB:
Prince Fielder Hates Milestones
Giving new zest to the phrase "Fielder's Choice," the Brewers first baseman took two pitches for balls. He swung and missed at the third. Then he took two more -- both of them errant 90 mph fastballs -- and trotted to first. He would never bat again in the 2011 regular season.
Why is this meaningful? The article explains:
A pair of economists, Devin Pope at the University of Chicago and Uri Simonsohn at Wharton found that in the last quarter-century, no player batting .299 in his final at-bat of the season has ever drawn a walk. Again: In the last 25 years, no player batting .299 in his final at-bat of the season has ever drawn a walk.
Well, no one until Prince Fielder, that is. He stood alone, walking, and now stands alone, statistically.
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