This year yielded a bumper crop of five players inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, three elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) and two by the Classic Baseball Era iteration of the veterans committee (VC). Don't expect that for next year.

Among the first-time eligibles, and for the first time in years, there are no clear Hall of Famers on the 2026 BBWAA ballot, performance-enhancing drug (PED) taint or not. Among the returnees, it is a mop-up operation as one, maybe two, may get the call to the Hall, one will fall off the ballot while a few may do so, a few will continue to build gradual support, and the rest will discover, or continue to realize, that they've been friendzoned by the voters: I like you but not in that way.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Milwaukee Brewers.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Brewers won the National League Central, but were bounced by the New York Mets in three games in the Wild Card round.  There were two new entrants and a few notable player movements.

As always, we present our top five, which had no changes.

1. Robin Yount

2. Paul Molitor

3. Ryan Braun

4. Cecil Cooper

5. Teddy Higuera

You can find the entire list here. 

Former MVP Christian Yelich advanced one spot to #6.

Pitcher Brandon Woodruff held at #20.

Infielder Willy Adames and Pitcher Devin Williams enter at #40 and #41 respectively. 

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

We love to add more sub-sections at Notinhalloffame.com, and if you have been looking at our recent posts, you can see that our current focus is on our Futures Section, which look at eventual candidates who have retired from their respective sport, but are not yet Hall of Fame eligible.  Today, we unveil the latest add-on, the 2026 Baseball Futures of the players who qualify for Cooperstown in 2026.

Here are the players in our 2026 Baseball Futures Section:

Alex Gordon:  Playing his entire career with the Royals, Gordon won three Gold Gloves, was a three-time All-Star and was a member of the 2015 World Series Championship Team.

Chris Davis:  Davis was a power hitter who won two American League Home Run Titles as a member of the Orioles.

Cole Hamels:  Hamels helped lead Philadelphia to a World Series win in 2008, and he was the NLCS and World Series MVP that year.  A four-year All-Star, Hamels had four top ten Cy Young finishes and 2,560 Strikeouts.

Daniel Murphy:  Murphy was the runner-up for the 2016 National League MVP in 2016, and was a three-time All-Star.  He also won two Silver Sluggers and twice led the NL in Doubles.

Edinson Volquez:  Volquez was a long time Starting Pitcher who went to one All-Star Game and won a World Series with Kansas City in 2015.

Edwin Encarnacion:  Finding his stride as a Designated Hitter with Toronto, Encarnacion earned three All-Star appearances, and had 429 Home Runs.

Gio Gonzalez:  Gonzalez went to two All-Star Games and had an overall record of 131-101 and 1,860 Strikeouts.

Howie Kendrick:  Kendrick played most of his career with the Angels where he was an All-Star in 2011, but he would later win an NLCS MVP and World Series Ring with Washington in 2019.

Hunter Pence:  Pence was a four-time All-Star who won two World Series Rings with the San Francisco Giants.

Jason Kipnis:  Kipnis is best known for his time with Cleveland where was a two-time All-Star and won one a Wilson Defensive Player Award.

Jeff Samardzija:  Samardzija was an All-Star Pitcher in 2014 and also led the NL in Strikeouts in 2017.

Kelvin Herrera:  Herrera went to two All-Star Games as a Relief Pitcher and would win a World Series with Kansas City in 2015.

Matt Kemp:  Kemp went to three All-Star Games, and won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.  He was the runner-up for the NL MVP in 2011 when he was a Dodger.

Matt Wieters:  Wieters was a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner as the Catcher for the Orioles.

Nick Markakis:  Splitting his career between Baltimore and Atlanta, Markakis won three Gloves, one Silver Slugger and went to one All-Star Game.

Rick Porcello:  The Starting Pitcher won the American League Cy Young Award in 2016 and the World Series two years later. 

Ryan Braun:  Braun played his entire career with Milwaukee where he won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2008 and the AL MVP in 2011.  He is also a five-time Silver Slugger, six-time All-Star and he twice led the league in OPS and Slugging Percentage.

Shin-Soo Choo:  Choo is one of the first everyday players from South Korea and was an All-Star in 2018.

You know what we want you to do!  Cast your votes, and offer your opinions on this group and all other entries on Notinhalloffame.com.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your support.

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.

A significant retirement has taken place in the world of baseball as Ryan Braun announced his retirement.

Braun has not played this season after being unable to find a new home when the Brewers declined to exercise the option on his contract.

Debuting in 2007 for Milwaukee, the only team he ever played for, Braun was an instant star, winning the American League Rookie of the Year and subsequently the Slugging Title.  Over the next five years, Braun was one of the top sluggers in the National League, going to the All-Star Game in all of those campaigns, all of which seeing him collect at least 100 RBIs.  Braun led the NL in Hits in 2009 (203), batted over .300 five times, and was a five-time Silver Slugger.  He also won the Home Run Title in 2012 (41), won the MVP in 2011, and led the NL in OPS twice.

Braun infamously failed a PED test in 2011, though successfully won the appeal, though would be suspended two years later through the Biogenesis scandal.

He retires with 1,863 Hits, 352 Home Runs, 1,154 RBIs, a Slash Line of .296/.358/.532, and a bWAR of 47.1.  Braun is 25^th in JAWS among Leftfielders with 42.9, a good number but well below the average Hall of Fame Leftfielder number of 53.7.  

Braun is Hall of Fame eligible in 2026, but his PED issues hurt what would be a borderline candidate.

We wish Braun the best in his post-playing career.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021 revision of our top 50 Milwaukee Brewers of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in their League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

There is one new addition on out Top 50, but nothing affecting our top five.  As always, we announce them here.

They are:

1. Robin Yount                                

2. Paul Molitor

3. Ryan Braun 

4. Cecil Cooper

5. Teddy Higuera

The complete list can be found here. 

The only new entry is Josh Hader, who enters at #44.  Active Brewers, Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, did not climb up from their existing spots.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Ryan Braun arrived in Milwaukee in 2007 as a high-caliber prospect with a "five-tool" label that he spent the next fourteen seasons largely validating. While his defensive work at third base and later left field was often characterized as average, his offensive impact was immediate and staggering.

Braun won the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award while setting a rookie record for slugging percentage (.634). He quickly proved to be a professional mainstay, earning the first of five consecutive Silver Slugger Awards and becoming a perennial fixture at the All-Star Game. This early stretch served as the formal introduction to a player who could impact the game with both a specialized batting average and the speed to record 216 stolen bases over his career.

Between 2008 and 2010, Braun remained a professional mainstay, earning three consecutive All-Star selections and three Silver Slugger Awards. He showed the organization he was a premier run producer by averaging over 30 home runs and 100 RBIs during this three-year stretch, notably hitting a dramatic go-ahead home run on the final day of the 2008 season to clinch the Brewers' first playoff berth in 26 years. His ability to hit for both average and power made him a perennial fixture in the top ten of the MVP voting well before he reached his ultimate peak.

Braun reached a ceiling of individual production during the 2011 campaign, in a season that saw him lead the Brewers to a division title. That summer, he showcased high-frequency efficiency in capturing the National League MVP, batting .332 with 33 home runs and 33 stolen bases. He followed that performance with a 2012 season where he led the league in home runs (41) and runs scored (108), recording a second consecutive slugging title.

His career featured a traumatic, localized scandal that permanently altered the perception of his legacy. In 2011, Braun tested positive for PEDs and famously avoided suspension by discrediting the sample collector, Dino Laurenzi Jr., with accusations of bias. However, he was later implicated in the Biogenesis investigation, ultimately admitting to wrongdoing and serving a 65-game suspension in 2013. While this period remains a stain on his career, he showed the organization specialized resilience by returning to a high level of play, earning a sixth All-Star selection in 2015 and remaining the team’s most reliable power source.

He officially retired after the 2020 season, walking away as the all-time franchise leader in home runs (352) and currently ranks second only to Robin Yount in several major offensive categories, including RBIs (1,154) and extra-base hits. He remained a professional mainstay until his final at-bat in 2020, recording 1,963 hits and a career .296 batting average. While the controversies of his peak may hinder his path to Cooperstown, his induction into the Brewers Walk of Fame in 2024 served as the final punctuation to his career.