MILWAUKEE -- Prince Fielder received a pair of votes for the Hall of Fame on Tuesday, when former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was the lone player who gained induction, but fell significantly short of the 5 percent representation required to remain on the ballot for future years.

It was another reminder of what might have been for Fielder, whose big league bloodlines, love for the game and prodigious power might have helped carry him to Cooperstown had injuries not cut short his playing career. Instead, Fielder, who hit 285 home runs before his 30th birthday, was out of the game at 32, and out of Hall of Fame contention after his first appearance on the ballot.

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Fielder appeared on two of 394 returned ballots from eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, or 0.5 percent. Voters could check as many as 10 names on each ballot. Only Ortiz, at 77.9 percent, exceeded the 75 percent threshold to enter the Hall.

That meant the other player on the ballot with Brewers ties also fell short. Gary Sheffield, Milwaukee’s first-round Draft pick in 1986 who played parts of four seasons with the Brewers before being traded to San Diego, appeared on 40.6 percent of ballots in his eighth year of eligibility.

Fielder, too, was a former first-round pick. He broke into the big leagues with the Brewers a month after his 21st birthday in 2005 and broke Willie Mays’ record as the youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a season in 2007. In ’08, Fielder and Ryan Braun powered the Brewers to their first postseason appearance in 26 years, and in ’09 Fielder hit 46 home runs, led the Majors with 141 RBIs and played all 162 games, beginning a five-year run in which he played all but one of his team’s games.

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It was during that streak that Fielder went to the Detroit Tigers via a massive free-agent contract. He was traded to the Rangers after the 2013 season but injuries became a problem, leading to a neck issue that forced Fielder’s tearful retirement in 2016.

As a Brewers player, Fielder’s .540 slugging percentage and .390 on-base percentage are franchise records for qualifiers, and his .282 average ranks ninth. He is third in franchise history with 230 home runs and seventh with 656 RBIs.

“I think once I met Prince, I’m like, ‘This is going to be the guy. This is going to be the leader right here,’” said former Brewer Geoff Jenkins, who had filled that role in the years prior to Fielder’s arrival in the Majors. “Not to take anything away from Brauny. Prince just had a certain toughness about him, and grit that was undeniable. I felt the same way about Rickie Weeks. And trust me when I say that I don’t mean anything against anyone else. I just remember meeting Prince and thinking, ‘This organization is going to be in good hands.’ …

“I have a lot of respect for him. I know he wanted to be in the lineup every day. He wanted to lead by example. He wanted to hustle. And he was funny, man. Quirky. He could be tough and mean, but he had a soft side to him, too, like a teddy bear.”

Jenkins is among those who wonders, “What if?”

“He was a guy who might have been headed to the Hall of Fame,” Jenkins said. “Probably? Possibly? Nobody can see what kind of years you’re going to have ahead. But what happened with his neck, it had to leave something to be desired for Prince in the latter part of his career. Nobody wants to make all of that money and not play for it. Least of all, him.”