When your dad and your grandfather have combined for nine All-Star appearances over 25 big league seasons, the expectations for you to have a pro baseball career are probably going to be through the roof.
For Milwaukee Brewers prospect Jadyn Fielder, the son of Brewers legend Prince Fielder and grandson of Cecil Fielder, that just comes with the territory, as he works his way through the minor leagues, in hopes of following in the footsteps of his famous family members.
Originally committed to North Florida College, Fielder played at TNXL Academy in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and was selected to participate in the MLB Draft League during the summer of 2024, where he saw action in 22 games for the Frederick Keys.
After hitting just .202 with two doubles, one triple and one home run over 72 at-bats, Fielder went undrafted and considered going the college route to continue his developmental process.
But he knew pro baseball was where he wanted to be, and when the Brewers came calling with a contract offer, he jumped at the chance to sign with his father’s former ballclub as a free agent.
“It’s really a dream come true”, Fielder told a group of reporters during Spring Training last season. “Since I was little, I always wanted to play for the Brewers. I’m blessed that it’s really happening.”
His professional debut didn’t come until last season, but Fielder took advantage when given the chance, putting up an OPS of .870 over the span of 48 games in the Arizona Complex League.
While Prince, Cecil, and Haven (Jadyn’s younger brother), are all known more for their impressive size and big-time power at first base, Jadyn’s game and body-type are different from the rest of the Fielders.
Listed as a second baseman, Jadyn is more athletic, and has seen most of his pro action come in the outfield, and though there are certainly some times that his swing can look like his dad’s, Jadyn’s game is not big on power at the moment, relying more on contact; putting the ball in play, using the whole field, and taking advantage of his speed on the bases.
“Me, my dad, my grandpa, we all kind of know, I’m different from them. I’m not that big of a guy. We all understand, I’m definitely gonna probably have a different path from them, but I can’t change whatever anyone else is thinking.”
That doesn’t mean that Jadyn is some kind of slap hitter who can’t leave the yard however, as he showed in his very first pro game, when he homered against the ACL Cubs in his first professional at-bat.
One of the benefits of his upbringing, has been Fielder’s ability to be around the game from a very young age, and get tons of experience learning from MLB players up-close and personal.
If you watch old videos from Prince Fielder’s Home Run Derby appearances, Jadyn is there, cheering on his dad.
At Brewers Family Days, there’s Jadyn as a toddler, running around the bases or chasing other kids in the outfield.
When his dad signed a huge free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers, there was Jadyn, on stage at the press conference.
“I was definitely in the clubhouse with the guys”, Fielder said. “A lot of the clubbies in there, they would throw me sock baseballs. I’d be hitting them (with) all the guys cheering for me in the clubhouse. It was definitely a lot more of those type of memories.”
He also had the chance to learn from the likes of Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall and CC Sabathia among others, and got comfortable with swinging wood bats at a much younger age than most players would.
That’s helped Jadyn get to where he is today, currently in the midst of his first year of full-season ball, with the Class-A Wilson Warbirds in the Carolina League.
Though he’s hitting just .218 through 42 games with the Warbirds, Fielder has shown steady improvements, getting better and better as the season moves along and he gets more comfortable at the plate.
After struggling with a .140 average in April, Fielder hit .238 in May, and .282 in the month of June, with over half of his hits going for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, as he posted an OPS of .955 for the month.
If he continues making strides, the 21-year-old Fielder could be among the next wave of prospects to make their way to High-A Wisconsin, but for his part, Fielder is happy to keep getting the chance to play, knowing that if he handles his business, his time will come.
“My dad always told me, you never know when your last day is, playing baseball, so every game to me is honestly like the World Series almost. I’m just happy to be able to play the game that I love. It doesn’t matter to me where it’s at.”
• Earlier this week, Baseball America updated their rankings of the Top 100 prospects in baseball, and the Brewers’ farm system continues to look like the best in baseball, with an incredible nine Milwaukee prospects now cracking the Top 100.
Jesus Made still sits firmly atop the list as the number one prospect in baseball, and he’s joined by Luis Pena at #19, Cooper Pratt at #43, Luis Lara at #47, Logan Henderson at #64, Josh Adamczewski at #78, Braylon Payne at #88, Jett Williams at #95, and Alexander Frias rounding out the list at #100.
• Made and Pena also received additional honors this week, as they were selected to represent the Brewers at the Futures Game, to be held in Philadelphia on Sunday, July 12th as part of the All-Star festivities.
The Futures Game, which started in 1999, showcases the games top prospects and will feature more of a traditional All-Star game format with the American League prospects squaring off against the National League prospects. The game is scheduled to start at 11 AM CST and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
• The Brewers made a host of recent promotions, highlighted by catcher Darrien Miller getting the call to move up from Double-A Biloxi to Tiple-A Nashville last Saturday. The 25-year-old backstop was enjoying a strong season with the Shuckers hitting .252 with eight home runs in 43 games.
Outfielder Josian Ragsdale, catcher David Garcia and pitcher Braylon Owens all made the jump from Class-A Wisconsin to Biloxi, with pitcher Jose Meneses, outfielder Tyler Rodriguez and catcher Yannic Walther going up from Class-A Wilson to Wisconsin, and catcher Eric Martinez returning to Wilson from the Arizona Complex League.
• With a suddenly crowded outfield in Biloxi, following the recent promotions of Josh Adamczewski and Josiah Ragsdale, the Brewers also released outfielder Dasan Brown on Tuesday.
Brown, who was signed by Milwaukee in December after seven seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, had appeared in 51 games for the Shuckers this season, and was hitting an even .200 with three doubles, one home run and 13 stolen bases.
• In the Arizona Complex League, there was reason for the Brewers to celebrate on Thursday, as left-handed pitcher Frank Cairone made his long-awaited professional debut.
Selected by Milwaukee in the second round of the MLB Draft last July with the 68th overall pick, Cairone was involved in a horrific car accident this past offseason, but has worked hard to rehab and finally made his way back onto the mound, pitching an inning as the starting pitcher in yesterday’s game against the ACL Giants.
Nashville Sounds (AAA) – Overall record: 47-37. Current second half record: 4-5, 5th place in the International League West Division, 3.0 games back of first place Toledo (Tigers).
Biloxi Shuckers (AA) – Overall record: 41-33. Current second half record: 6-3, 1st place in the Southern League South Division, 1.0 game in front of second place Pensacola (Marlins). Biloxi won the first half and has already qualified for the playoffs.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A+) – Overall record: 43-30. Current second half record: 9-2, 1st place in the Midwest League West Division, 1.0 game in front of second place Beloit (Marlins).
Wilson Warbirds (A) – Overall record: 42-36. Current second half record: 6-6, 3rd place in the Carolina League North Division, 1 game back of first place Fayetteville (Astros) and Fredericksburg (Nationals).
ACL Brewers (R) – Current record: 23-23, 4th place in the Arizona Complex League Central Division, 4.5 games back of first place ACL Guardians.
DSL Brewers Blue (R) – Current record: 15-8, 2nd place in the Dominican Summer League Northwest Division, 4.0 games back of first place DSL Padres Gold.
DSL Brewers Gold (R) – Current record: 9-13, 5th place in the Dominican Summer League Central Division, 3.5 games back of first place DSL Guardians Goryl.