Prince Fielder Accepts Players Choice Award for 2015 AL Comeback Player
In Prince’s honor the Players Trust will provide a $20,000 grant to the charity of his choice
NEW YORK, April 7, 2016/ 3BL Media/ - In a pre-game ceremony Tuesday evening, Texas Rangers infielder/designated hitter Prince Fielder received a prestigious Players Choice Award as the 2015 AL Comeback Player. Selected in a secret ballot of all American League players in recognition of his exceptional season, Fielder received his Players Choice Award from teammate and MLBPA team Player Representative, Derek Holland.
Since his first full season with the Brewers in 2006, Fielder had played all 162 games four times and had never played fewer than 157 games before 2014 when his season was cut off in May due to a herniated neck disk that required surgery. In 2015, he picked right up where he left off, batting .307, with a .378 OBP and 98 RBIs, each of which ranked in the top 10 in the AL. Along the way, he hit his 300th career home run and was named to the AL All-Star team.
In recognition of his outstanding performance in 2015, the Major League Baseball Players Trust will donate $20,000 to the charity of Fielder’s choice.
Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes affecting the needy and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities. 2015 Players Choice Award winners in all categories will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Players Trust. Since 1992, the Players Trust has recognized the outstanding on-field and off-field performances of Players Choice Awards winners by contributing over $4 million to more than 250 charities around the world. For additional information, please visit http://playerstrust.org/programs/players-choice-awards/
2015 Players Choice Awards winners were selected by players on Sept. 16, 2015 in league-wide balloting conducted under the supervision of accounting firm KPMG, and were announced in November on MLB Network and presented by MLB The Show.
2015 Players Choice Awards Finalists and Winners (In Bold):
American League:
Outstanding Player: Nelson Cruz (Seattle), Josh Donaldson (Toronto), Mike Trout (LA Angels)
Outstanding Pitcher: Sonny Gray (Oakland), Dallas Keuchel (Houston), David Price (Toronto)
Outstanding Rookie: Carlos Correa (Houston), Francisco Lindor (Cleveland), Miguel Sano(Minnesota)
Comeback Player: Prince Fielder (Texas), Kendrys Morales (Kansas City), Alex Rodriguez (NY Yankees)
National League:
Outstanding Player: Nolan Arenado (Colorado Rockies), Paul Goldschmidt (Arizona), Bryce Harper (Washington)
Outstanding Pitcher: Jake Arrieta (Chicago Cubs), Clayton Kershaw(LA Dodgers), Zack Greinke (LA Dodgers)
Outstanding Rookie: Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs), Matt Duffy (San Francisco), Jung Ho Kang(Pittsburgh)
Comeback Player: Carlos Gonzalez (Colorado), Matt Harvey (NY Mets), Joey Votto (Cincinnati)
Either League:
Player of the Year: Josh Donaldson (Toronto), Zack Greinke (LA Dodgers), Bryce Harper (Washington)
Man of the Year: Dee Gordon (Miami), Adam Jones (Baltimore), David Robertson (Chicago White Sox)
About the MLBPA
The Major League Baseball Players Association (www.MLBPLAYERS.com) is the collective bargaining representative for all professional baseball players of the thirty Major League Baseball teams and serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities involving active Major League baseball players. On behalf of its members, it operates the Players Choice licensing program and Players Choice Awards, which benefit the needy through the Major League Baseball Players Trust (www.PlayersTrust.org ), a charitable foundation established and run entirely by Major League baseball players. Follow: @MLB_Players; @MLBPlayersTrust; @MLBPAClubhouse.
