Ryan Braun (2007-present)
On the surface, Ryan Braun’s resume is more than enough to make him one of the greatest players in Milwaukee Brewers history.
He entered the league with a bang in 2007, slugging 34 homers and leading the National League with a .634 slugging percentage en route to being named the NL Rookie of the Year. He won the MVP award in 2011, and was the runner up the following year. A six time All Star and five time Silver Slugger, Braun has hit 30 or more homers six times, and has stolen 20 or more bases four times.
Overall with the Brewers, Braun has produced an excellent .302/.364/.540 batting line, slugging 302 homers and 345 doubles. He has even stolen 193 bases, giving him an outside chance at joining the 300-300 club before his career is done. At just 33 years old, it is possible he could approach 3000 hits and 500 home runs, making him a candidate for the Hall of Fame.
However, one cannot discuss Braun without looking at his controversial legacy. He was set to be suspended for PED usage before throwing the sample taker under the bus. He won his appeal of his 50 game suspension, but in 2013, was named in the Biogenesis scandal, suspended for the second half of the 2013 campaign. His production to that point immediately came under fire, and as he has not been the same since, one has to wonder how much of his production was PED related.
Ryan Braun has been one of the best players in Milwaukee Brewers history. One just has to wonder how much of his performance came naturally.