The first half of Ryan Braun's career looked like it was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. A two-time All-American at the University of Miami, Braun was considered a five-tool prospect and was the fifth overall pick in 2005, and he rose quickly, entering the Majors in 2007.
It was a great rookie campaign for Braun, winning the National League Rookie of the Year in a season where he belted 34 Home Runs and won the Slugging Title (.634) in a 113 Game year. Braun was a top star the next five seasons, a perennial All-Star in that span, with him also collecting five straight Silver Sluggers. Braun had at least 25 Home Runs and 100 RBIs in all of those five campaigns, winning the Home Run Title in 2012 (41) and the MVP the year before when he batted .332 (a career-high), blasted 33 Home Runs and led the league in Slugging (.597) and OPS (.994). He also was the MVP runner u in 2012 and was third in voting in 2008.
It all came tumbling down when a positive (very positive) PED test was released in late October, and Braun was able to get the suspension overturned on a technicality, all the while (falsely) accusing the tester of being an Antisemitic. Two years later, Braun was suspended when he was linked to Biogenesis, and he was forever labeled a steroid cheat.
He was never the same player afterward, though he was still a bona fide everyday player, just not a superstar. Braun retired after the 2020 Season, leaving Baseball with 1,963 Hits, a .296 Batting Average, 352 Home Runs, and 1,154 RBIs, all of which are more than respectable statistics.
Even without the PED scandal, is Braun still on the wrong side of the Hall of Fame ledger? He probably is, but Brewers fans knew for a time that they had a top-five star. Not many baseball players can make that claim.
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