Next up on the list is Ryan Braun. It is his first time on the ballot.
I was thinking I’d skip him, but he was a better player than I remembered. A career .296/358/.532 line with 352 home runs, 1154 RBI and a 47.2 bWAR in 14 seasons all with the Brewers.
He was the Rookie of the Year in 2007, hitting .324/.370/.634 with 34 home runs. He got MVP votes seven times, winning it in 2011, when he hit .332/.397/.597 with 33 home runs and 111 RBI. He finished second the next year, with a .319/.391/.595 and 41 home runs. He also finished third, and then 11th, 15th, 23rd and 24th.
Braun made six All-Star teams, win five Silver Sluggers.
Braun also stole 216 bases.
He wasn’t a good defensive outfielder, UZR/150 had him at a -3.3 career.
Ryan had a rather large batting split, hitting lefties (.989 OPS), much better than RHP (.856).
But…..and it is a big but, he ‘failed a testosterone test’ and had a connection to the Biogenesis of America, the company that Alex Rodriguez visited several times. He was suspended for 50 games, and he accused the testing company of anti-semitism. He admitted using later.
He could have used a few more good seasons to bring up his bulk numbers, but he had a good career.