Rookie of the Year: Ryan Braun, 2007

Third Baseman, Milwaukee Brewers

Age:  23

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 205

Prior to 2007:

Braun, a native of Los Angeles, starred at shortstop in high school and was a Baseball America All-American in college at the Univ. of Miami in Florida where he was shifted to third base as a junior. Chosen by the Brewers in the 2005 amateur draft, he readily advanced through the minor league system, hitting .352 with teams at the Rookie and Class A levels in ’05 and .289 with 22 home runs playing for High A and AA-level clubs in 2006. Braun got off to a strong start with Class AAA Nashville in 2007 where he was batting .342 with a .701 slugging percentage in 34 games when he was called up by the Brewers to fill a need at third base.

2007 Season Summary

Appeared in 113 games

3B – 112, PH - 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 492

At Bats – 451

Runs – 91

Hits – 146

Doubles – 26

Triples – 6 [12, tied with eight others]

Home Runs – 34 [5, tied with Miguel Cabrera & Lance Berkman]

RBI – 97 [19, tied with Pat Burrell & Khalil Greene]

Bases on Balls – 29

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 112

Stolen Bases – 15

Caught Stealing – 5

Average - .324 [Non-qualifying]

OBP - .370 [Non-qualifying]

Slugging Pct. - .634 [Non-qualifying]

Total Bases – 286

GDP – 13

Hit by Pitches – 7

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 5

Midseason snapshot: HR - 11, RBI - 32, AVG - .350, SLG PCT - .663

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Kansas City 6/22, (in 5 AB) at Chi. Cubs 6/30

Longest hitting streak – 11 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 5 AB) at Washington 7/6, (in 4 AB) vs. Colorado 7/13, (in 4 AB) at Cincinnati 9/9

HR at home – 17

HR on road – 17

Multi-HR games – 3

Most RBIs, game – 4 at Chi. Cubs 6/30, vs. Colorado 7/13, at Houston 8/11

Pinch-hitting – 0 of 1 (.000)

Fielding

Chances – 248

Put Outs – 61

Assists – 161

Errors – 26

DP - 12

Pct. - .895

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

24^th in NL MVP voting, tied with Brad Hawpe, Col. (2 points, 0% share)

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Ryan Braun, Mil.: 128 pts. – 17 of 32 first place votes, 80% share

Troy Tulowitzki, Col.: 126 pts. – 15 first place votes, 79% share

Hunter Pence, Hou.: 15 pts. – 9% share

Chris Young, Ariz.: 10 pts. – 6% share

Kyle Kendrick, Phila.: 7 pts. – 4% share

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Brewers went 83-79 to finish second in the NL Central Division, two games behind the division-winning Chicago Cubs while leading the league in home runs (231).

Aftermath of ‘07:

The Brewers shifted Braun to left field in 2008 and he went on to achieve his first All-Star selection on the way to batting .285 with 37 home runs and 106 RBIs, while dealing with a rib injury during the season’s final weeks and earning a Silver Slugger for his efforts. Milwaukee reached the postseason as a Wild Card entry and lost to the Phillies in the NLDS despite a good performance by Braun. He was an All-Star again in 2009 and went on to lead the NL with 203 hits and averaged .320 with 32 home runs and 114 RBI while the Brewers dropped to third in the NL Central Division. Another strong season in 2010 was followed by a 2011 campaign in which Braun achieved NL MVP recognition while hitting .332 with 33 home runs, 111 RBIs, a league-leading .597 slugging percentage, and 33 stolen bases for the first-place Brewers. Braun topped the NL with 108 runs and 41 home runs in 2012. But in 2013 he was suspended 61 games into the season for violation of major league baseball’s policy against the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Returning to the Brewers in 2014, Braun was moved to right field and his batting average dropped to .266 and his home runs to 19. He had offseason hand surgery and returned to All-Star form in 2015 while hitting 25 home runs and knocking in 84 runs with a .285 batting average. Following another solid season in 2016, Braun was nagged by injuries in 2017 and finished with 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .268 batting average. Through 2017, his career totals, all with Milwaukee, included 302 home runs, 937 runs scored, 193 stolen bases, and 989 RBIs. He has been a six-time All-Star and recipient of five Silver Slugger awards in addition to being a one-time league MVP.    

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.