Why Ryan Braun is on the Brewers' Mount Rushmore for the past 25 years
The Journal Sentinel picked the Mount Rushmore for the 25 years of Miller Park/American Family Field. Here is why Ryan Braun made it.
Ryan Braun At the tail end of the most anticipated group of homegrown prospects the Milwaukee Brewers have ever seen came Ryan Braun . Drafted fifth overall in 2005, it didn’t take long for Braun to make an impact. He was named the National League’s rookie of the year in 2007 despite playing in only 113 games, slugging 34 home runs and batting .
324. He led the league in hits the next year, was named the most valuable player in 2011 while tops in OPS at . 994 (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage), then led the league in OPS again in 2012 (.
987). Through his first six years, Braun hit 202 homers, stole 126 bases, batted . 313 and was a five-time all-star.
No player in Brewers history has had a greater penchant for delivering in the clutch. Braun’s home run on the final day of the 2008 regular season sent the Brewers to the playoffs for the first time since 1982 – and came mere days after he hit a walk-off grand slam. His late homer clinched a division title, the first in 29 years, in 2011.