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Prince Fielder joins Rangers AL West celebration

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor

The whole Texas Rangers crew was on hand Friday night for their AL West-clinching celebration in Oakland. That even included Prince Fielder, who was forced to leave the team and ultimately retire from baseball in August following neck surgery.

Needless to say, the reality of that situation did not settle well with Fielder initially. But he’s bounced back strong thanks in large part to his former teammates.

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They never forgot about him along their journey to the AL West crown,and they weren’t about to forget about him once that goal was reached. As the Rangers players ran on the field following their 3-0 win against the A’s, Fielder was right there among them. He was also a big part of the clubhouse celebration, as seemingly every player took a moment or two to share the moment with him.

That really is awesome.

Fielder was slowed by injuries and other ailments, such as sleep apnea, during his three-year stint with Texas. He produced 23 homers and 98 RBIs last season, but was far from the same player. Still, he showed every day he could and even some when he probably shouldn’t have, and that no doubt earned the respect of his teammates.

Now he’s going to be an inspirational part of their postseason. He’s already said he plans to be around them for as long as they play. And the team couldn’t be happier to have him around.

“I hope he is around as much as possible,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister recently said of Fielder’s presence. “His leadership, his knowledge, it’s a tough presence. There is a sense of relief and of calmness having Prince in the dugout.”

It's not a party without Prince Fielder. (Getty Images)
It’s not a party without Prince Fielder. (Getty Images)

The fans echoed that support on social media.

The Rangers also reportedly did a ginger ale toast to reliever Matt Bush and Jerermy Jeffress, the latter of which returned to the Rangers on Friday following a DWI. Jeffress spent nearly one month at an inpatient rehab clinic.

Sports teams often describe themselves as families. That’s undoubtedly true of the 2016 Texas Rangers.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!