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Detroit Tigers slugger Prince Fielder, who has been mired in a prolonged slump, filed for divorce from his wife of eight years this past May. Fielder filed for a dissolution of marriage from his wife, Chanel, on May 28, according to online court records from the Orange County Clerk's office in Florida. The couple have two sons, Haven and Jadyn, and an offseason home in Florida. The two were married during the minor league season in July 2005, when Prince was playing with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. The impending divorce was first reported Wednesday, one day after Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter hinted during a radio interview that Fielder had been dealing with a personal issue. Fielder, 29, was asked Tuesday about Hunter's comments but would not go into detail. "I'm going to turn the story off," Fielder said, according to multiple media reports. "It's fine. Everything is fine." One reporter suggested to Fielder that a high-profile athlete's personal life should remain personal, not the public knowledge of fans. "Yeah, you're right," Fielder responded. Fielder, who signed a nine-year, $214 million deal with the Tigers prior to last season, is batting just .224 over his past 51 games and has only one home run in 25 games since the All-Star break. Talking Tuesday with radio station Detroit Sports 105.1, Hunter suggested that critics back off the slumping Fielder, saying "a lot of people don't know what's going on" in the first baseman's life. Despite the impending divorce and his struggles at the plate, Fielder has not missed a game this season for the Tigers. "This guy is a strong guy," Hunter said during the interview. "He's out there every day. He won't come out of the lineup, no matter what's going on off the field or on the field. He's a strong guy. "Us as players, we know what's really going on and we appreciate him going out there every day." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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