Prince Fielder on posing nude for ESPN: 'I'm not going up there trying to be a fitness model'

Prince Fielder, the Texas Rangers' wonderfully rotund first baseman, doesn't seem at all self-conscious about posing nude for the upcoming edition of ESPN's Body Issue.

"You don't have to look like an Under Armour mannequin to be an athlete. A lot of people probably think I'm not athletic or don't even try to work out or whatever, but I do," Fielder told ESPN The Magazine. 

Fielder's 275-pound frame has engendered plenty of criticism throughout his major-league career, but the five-time All-Star's prodigious power - he has 288 home runs with a 140 OPS+ over parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues - has silenced many of his detractors.

"Just because you're big doesn't mean you can't be an athlete," said Fielder. "And just because you work out doesn't mean you're going to have a 12-pack. I work out to make sure I can do my job to the best of my ability. Other than that, I'm not going up there trying to be a fitness model."