In the 13 years since Prince Fielder left the Milwaukee Brewers, they have had 12 different first basemen start on Opening Day. Rowdy Tellez in 2022 and 2023 is the only one who started multiple times. The other players the Brewers have tried to have stick at first since Fielder departed in free agency are Mat Gamel, Alex Gonzalez, Lyle Overbay, Adam Lind, Chris Carter, Eric Thames, Ryan Braun, Jesus Aguilar, Justin Smoak, Keston Hiura, Tellez, and Rhys Hoskins.
Hoskins has a player option for 2025, so it is entirely possible that Milwaukee could have their 13th different Opening Day first baseman in 14 years next year.
Indeed, Fielder was a generational talent in Milwaukee with nearly impossible shoes to fill (the Brewers are still trying to fill them over a decade later).
Prince Fielder Helped Usher in a New Era of Milwaukee Brewers Baseball
2011: Milwaukee Brewers Prince Fielder takes his last at bat as a Brewer, hitting a fly out. Afterward, he got a standing ovation from fans as he walked back to the dugout in Game 6 of the National League Championship in Milwaukee. The circular patch on Fielder’s chest commemorates groundskeeper Gary Vanden Berg Brewers17 14ofx Wood
When the Brewers selected Fielder with the seventh overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft, they were in the midst of the worst season in franchise history. They would go onto finish the year 56-106, a franchise record for losses. Over the next few seasons, while Fielder and other highly touted prospects developed in the minors, the team would go on to lose more than 90 games almost every year.
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2005 was a little different, however. The team finished 81-81, their first non-losing season since 1992. It was also the year that JJ Hardy and Rickie Weeks finally broke into the Majors as rookies. It was also the year that Fielder got his first taste of Big League play, appearing in 39 games and hitting .288/.306/.458 with two home runs and 10 RBI.
In 2006, Fielder was named the Opening Day starter at first base, and he would hold down that position for the next six seasons. Only Cecil Cooper (nine) had more Opening Day starts at first base than him.
As a rookie, Fielder hit .271/.347/.483 with 28 home runs and 81 RBI. He finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting, but Milwaukee took a step back only winning 75 games. Still, it was clear that Fielder and the young core with him were going to be special.
Prince Fielder Made Milwaukee Brewers and Major League History Over the Next Five Seasons
Oct 13, 2011; St. Louis, MO, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder hits a double in the fourth inning of game four of the 2011 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
In 2007, at the age of 23, Fielder became the youngest player in Major League history to hit 50 home runs in a season. He also averaged .288/.395/.618 and drove in 119 runs. He made his first All-Star team, finished third in National League MVP voting, and won a Silver Slugger.
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The following year, the Brewers finished 90-72 and made the MLB Playoffs for the first time since 1982. While they lost in the first round to the eventual World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies, it was still a highly successful season filled with magical moments.
For his part, Fielder hit .276/.372/.507 with 34 home runs and 102 RBI.
In 2009, he had one of his best seasons as a professional, hitting .299/.412/.602 with 46 home runs and a MLB-leading 141 RBI.
2010 saw his batting average drop dramatically, but he still slashed .261/.401/.471 with 32 home runs and 83 RBI while leading the Majors with 114 walks.
Fielder’s final year with Milwaukee saw the team win a franchise record 96 games and advance to the National League Championship Series, which they lost in six games to the St. Louis Cardinals. That year, Fielder his .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI. He also walked (107) more than he struck out (106).
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Fielder ended his time in Milwaukee with 230 home runs, which ranks third in franchise history behind Braun and Robin Yount. He made three All-Star teams, won three Silver Sluggers, and finished in the top four of MVP voting three times.
Prince Fielder’s Career Ended Early
Jul 7, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder (84) reacts after striking out in the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers in free agency and continued to have success on the field. He made two more All-Star teams in his two seasons there, and averaged .295/.387/.491, 28 home runs, and 107 RBI.
In 2013, he was traded to the Texas Rangers. While Fielder was durable player with Milwaukee and Detroit (he never played fewer than 157 games in a full season), his body started to break down. He was limited to 42 games in 2014 and 89 games in 2016.
He was forced to retire early due to a neck injury that required surgery, ending his career with 319 home runs, the same total his dad had in his own Major League career.
Milwaukee Brewers Legend Prince Fielder Went Viral on Saturday
Aug 28, 2011; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder (28) bats during the game against the Chicago Cubs at Miller Park. The Brewers defeated the Cubs 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
On Saturday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and museum held their annual Negro Leagues East-West Classic. This game featured retired African American baseball players who competed in a home run derby and game.
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Fielder, of course, took part in the home run derby and proved that he still has the power that made him such a fearsome hitter for so many years:
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) May 25, 2024
Fielder happened to be picked to play on the same team as one of his former teammates. CC Sabathia was a captain for the West team and actually served as its designated hitter.
Former Brewers outfielder Curtis Granderson also played for the West. Former Brewers Tony Gwynn Jr. and Jerry Hairston Jr. played for the East.
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See surveillance footage of slapping incident at Riverside High School
Demitrios Visvardis, a former paraprofessional, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery for slapping Shrone Dunn, an 18-year-old with cerebal palsy.
Courtesy of Milwaukee Police Department
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A former Milwaukee Public Schools paraprofessional received a deferred plea agreement for slapping a special education student.
Personnel records show the paraprofessional, Demitrios Visvardis, was accused of slapping another vulnerable student a year earlier.
Milwaukee Public Schools did not report the first incident to the police, according to department records.
When family members of a special education student voiced displeasure with a deferred plea agreement for former MPS paraprofessional Demitrios Visvardis in February, they were told it was fair given his lack of prior offenses.
Visvardis was charged with battery four months earlier in connection with an incident involving Shrone Dunn, 18, of Riverside High School.
“This ain’t nothing but a slap on the wrist,” Tyrone Dunn, Shrone’s father, said during the plea hearing. “We’re looking for justice.”
Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski assured Dunn of District Attorney Erin Karshen’s ability to fully prosecute based on what was known.
But records obtained by the Journal Sentinel through an open records request raise questions about Visvardis’s history, and how much was known before the plea deal was reached.
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Visvardis has no prior criminal record, but documents in his personnel file at Milwaukee Public Schools reference a 2024 accusation that he struck a special education student.
In a December 2025 letter filed after a disciplinary hearing, MPS hearing officer Natalie Fluker said the November 2025 incident involving Shrone Dunn was “the second time in a year that [Visvardis has] been accused of slapping a vulnerable student.”
The letter references findings made by hearing officer Gary Johnson during disciplinary proceedings related to the 2024 incident.
Earlier incident also involved slapping
According to the December letter, another Riverside High School staff member expressed concern to Principal Jeff Lasky after witnessing Visvardis slap an intellectually disabled student on October 10, 2024. As with the incident involving Dunn, review of security footage confirmed the allegations.
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Visvardis physically kept the student on a vent near an exit on the first floor of the school building despite the student’s multiple attempts to get up, according to the letter. Describing the footage, Johnson wrote, “The student appears to scream and you turn and slap him on the face. You then exit the hallway.”
Visvardis apologized for the incident, stating it was the worst thing he’d ever done.
Milwaukee Public Schools failed to report prior incident
According to the MPS employee handbook, the district generally follows a progressive discipline model that depends on the behavior and frequency of occurrences.
Johnson found the first incident to be “especially egregious, considering the unnecessary and excessive force” used on Student A and recommended a departure from the progressive discipline model. The departure meant Visvardis would be issued a three-day unpaid suspension and required enrollment in a course in nonviolent crisis intervention.
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The school district did not directly respond to questions from the Journal Sentinel about whether the police were notified of the incident in 2024. It also declined to say whether Student A’s parents were informed or what steps were taken to protect the student following the incident.
“The safety of our students is our highest priority,” Stephen Davis, a media relations manager at Milwaukee Public Schools, told the Journal Sentinel in an emailed statement. “We cannot discuss the details of any personnel matter, and the current administration would not be able to speak about how a prior case was addressed in 2024.”
But according to Milwaukee Police Department records, no report associated with Visvardis exists since January 2021 beyond the report on his arrest on November 13, 2025. That’s the day after Riverside cameras captured footage of Visvardis slapping Dunn “with an open hand to the left side of face,” according to police records.
Review hearing scheduled for this week
Visvardis is due back in court on Thursday, June 4.
According to the deferred prosecution agreement obtained by the Journal Sentinel, he will be eligible to seek employment in a “school, group home or any other place of employment where he would interact with other vulnerable people” this month, given successful completion of an anger management treatment program.
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Meanwhile, the Dunn Family has filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Board of School Directors, and Visvardis.
April Quevedo covers Metcalfe Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: aquevedo@usatodayco.com.
Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Journal Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association, and EnMotive, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co.
MILWAUKEE — This Fourth of July marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which created the United States of America.
In honor of that milestone, the Milwaukee County Historical Society is launching a new exhibit, “We the People: Milwaukee Stories of Immigration, Citizenship, and Community,” on June 12.
What You Need To Know
The exhibit showcases the real people who came from all over the world for a better life. The people, who over time, helped shape our country into what it is today
The experience comes with audio recordings from people who immigrated to Milwaukee, and their children
A big part of Milwaukee’s history is the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the Midwest in the mid-20th century. That is documented in We the People
Overall, the team at the Milwaukee Historical Society hopes the new exhibit reminds people of our similarities and shared home, as our nation turns 250
“This is the perfect opportunity to maybe tell a story that isn’t always told,” said Ben Barbera, executive director and president of the Milwaukee County Historical Society. “We can’t necessarily talk about the founding fathers. There weren’t many Revolutionary War battles here. But we can tell a story that is essential to the country.”
That story showcases the real people who came from all over the world for a better life — people who, over time, helped shape the country into what it is today.
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The story starts with those who were here first.
“The Indigenous populations of Wisconsin, because without them being pushed out and forced out, we wouldn’t have immigration come to this space,” said Olivia Hoff, community programs manager for the Milwaukee County Historical Society.
The exhibit features photos and artifacts dating back centuries.
“This is a sewing kit that was made from clothing that was worn by people who came here from England,” said Janean VanBeckum, curator of the exhibit. “They were Puritans being persecuted. They came in, settled on the East Coast, and then their family moved here.”
Families from Germany, Poland, Italy and Ireland followed. Decades later, there was a surge of immigrants from Latin America, Asia and parts of Africa.
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“When you start the exhibit, you get an identification card of an immigrant,” said VanBeckum. “It’s based on real immigrants, but not any particular person, and you can go around and choose your own adventure to kind of see what happens to your immigrant’s life as they move through the process of coming here and either becoming a citizen or not becoming a citizen.”
The experience includes audio recordings from people who immigrated to Milwaukee and their children.
“This is the humanistic story,” said Hoff. “It really generates empathy too because you are hearing it from the people themselves.”
The exhibit also highlights people who came to the Milwaukee area from within the United States. A major part of Milwaukee’s history is the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the Midwest in the mid-20th century. That history is documented in “We the People.”
Overall, the team at the Milwaukee County Historical Society hopes the new exhibit reminds people of their similarities and shared home as the nation turns 250.
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“People can realize that everyone has a similar scope of their life and that we all may be struggling to fight some of the same battles, and that by working together, creating a civic discourse, we can be less divided.”
Editor’s note: Post From Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
By Bernard Rahming, Forward Scholars
Forward Scholars is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit providing one-on-one reading tutoring to K–3rd grade students who are not yet reading on grade level. With the support of more than 300 volunteers and a community of generous donors and partners, we empower students to build the skills and confidence to succeed.
Sips for Scholars is our summer fundraiser and celebration of student growth. Join us for an evening of connection, inspiration, and community as we celebrate the impact of literacy and invest in brighter futures for our students.
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Date: June 30, 2026 Time: 5-7 p.m. Location: Broken Bat Brewing (135 E Pittsburgh Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53204 ) Tickets: $50 Per Person (Advance tickets close June 23)
Get your tickets!
Everyone is welcome. We’d love for you to join us!
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