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Testimony to greatness: a mini slump may have cost Ryan Braun a Triple Crown

The stache

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The stache ACL Brewers

The stache

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Winning the Triple Crown is hard. Very hard. If you look at the modern era of baseball, and compare the number of Triple Crown winners in the last 50 years to the number of winners in the first century of baseball, it's evident how the increase in the number of teams has made the feat much more difficult to accomplish. In 1933, there was a Triple Crown winner in each league. (Chuck Klein and Jimmy Foxx). Back then, there were 8 teams in each league. With the Houston Astros moving to the American League for 2013, there will be 15 teams in each.

 

That makes it all the more impressive that Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers won it this season. But lost in the conversation of Cabrera's pursuit has been that of Ryan Braun's own Triple Crown chase. In fact, I haven't heard it discussed on any television show, or on any major site. It's only been discussed on a select few baseball forums. But if you compare Braun's numbers to those Miguel Cabrera put up, they're quite close. Shockingly close. And those numbers, when viewed next to one another, should show the rest of baseball what we already know. Ryan Braun is the best hitter in the National League.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img407/2506/brauncabrera2012comp.png

 

It is interesting how one little bump in Ryan's season cost him a chance at baseball immortality. I understand that all hitters, even great ones like Ryan Braun, will have periods where they statistically do not meet their norms. The great thing about baseball is that a hitter can be crushing the ball. But hit it right at somebody, and they'll have nothing to show for it in the box score.

 

Ryan went through one of these periods, a blip of a statistical anomaly in an otherwise great season.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img100/2369/braunminislump2012.png

 

In retrospect, if you look at this period, and factor in the 7 or 8 hits Ryan might have gotten based on where he finished the season, he ends with a .331 or .332 average. Not quite up to Buster Posey's league leading .336. But if he's chasing a batting title at the end of the season, maybe some things are done differently. Maybe Ron Roenicke does not take Brauny out on September 29th against the Astros in a 9-0 game. Braun was 2 for 3, and when Nyjer Morgan was brought in to pinch hit for Braun, there were two men on, and nobody out.

 

So, why am I making this post, you all might ask? Am I taking a shot at Ryan? No, not at all. Quite the contrary. I am paying my favorite player a compliment. Ryan Braun, who I feel should be the NL MVP for 2012, was one little hiccup from being the first Triple Crown winner in the National League in 75 years (Joe Medwick was the last to accomplish this in 1937). This is how truly great a hitter we are witnessing, and while I think we all know it, I think that Braun's greatness is under-appreciated by the national media. You hear him called a really, really good hitter, and phrases like "steady", and "consistent" are thrown around when he is being discussed. Meanwhile, when Matt Kemp, a guy with career averages of .285 18 HR and 66 RBI coming into the 2011 season, is having a great year, everybody starts gushing about him.

 

Year in, year out, he produces. Year in, year out, he's out there 150 + games a season. He led the league in home runs this season. He missed the RBI crown by three. He was the runner up for the batting title last season, and that came down to the final day of the season. He's led the NL in OPS the last two years, in runs scored this year, in hits in 2009. He set a MLB rookie mark with his .634 slugging in 2007. He's a four time (soon to be five time) silver slugger winner. He's been Rookie of the Year, the NL MVP, and he was a couple of off games from a Triple Crown.

 

We are witnessing one of the great hitters in MLB history, and fortunately for us, he wears the Brewer blue and gold.

There are three things America will be known for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music and baseball. They're the three most beautifully designed things this culture has ever produced. Gerald Early
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Funketown ACL Brewers

Funketown

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I hadn't realized how close he would have been without that little slump. Of course, Posey could probably bump his average up to .340 or so by taking out a slump.

 

But yeah, Braun is a guy that really could win a 3C. Before this season I wouldn't have ever bet on him leading the NL in HR's, but with his power surge this year he obviously proved me wrong.

 

He's an incredible player, and he's in Milwaukee until about 2050. There's a good chance he retires as the greatest player in Brewers history.

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The stache

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I always felt that Braun could lead the league in HR. He'd hit 37 before. In a down year, that leads the league. He's always had the power potential, and playing at Miller Park doesn't hurt. But I think the 3 HR game at Petco raised some eyebrows. That's not an easy place to hit em out.

 

Posey hit about as well as any player can in the second half. I don't know if he could have been any hotter down the stretch. So, if Ryan doesn't have that lull, I think he'd have had a shot.

There are three things America will be known for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music and baseball. They're the three most beautifully designed things this culture has ever produced. Gerald Early
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Ennder Carolina Mudcats

Ennder

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I know those were jokes but if we don't play for 2013-2014 we should trade Braun. It is either all in now or get value for him. The absolutely worst thing we could do is be conservative the next 2 years and hold onto Braun.
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torts Carolina Mudcats

torts

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I know those were jokes but if we don't play for 2013-2014 we should trade Braun. It is either all in now or get value for him. The absolutely worst thing we could do is be conservative the next 2 years and hold onto Braun.

 

stop it

Posted: July 10, 2014, 12:30 AM

PrinceFielderx1 Said:

If the Brewers don't win the division I should be banned. However, they will.

 

Last visited: September 03, 2014, 7:10 PM

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Nottso Draft Eligible

Nottso

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I know those were jokes but if we don't play for 2013-2014 we should trade Braun. It is either all in now or get value for him. The absolutely worst thing we could do is be conservative the next 2 years and hold onto Braun.

 

stop it

 

Now.

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dlk9s Carolina Mudcats

dlk9s

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I know those were jokes but if we don't play for 2013-2014 we should trade Braun. It is either all in now or get value for him. The absolutely worst thing we could do is be conservative the next 2 years and hold onto Braun.

http://i.imgur.com/x4mt4.gif

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Samurai Bucky Draft Eligible

Samurai Bucky

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I know those were jokes but if we don't play for 2013-2014 we should trade Braun. It is either all in now or get value for him. The absolutely worst thing we could do is be conservative the next 2 years and hold onto Braun.

 

Hmmm... where is that ignore button? ;)

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Nottso Draft Eligible

Nottso

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I know those were jokes but if we don't play for 2013-2014 we should trade Braun. It is either all in now or get value for him. The absolutely worst thing we could do is be conservative the next 2 years and hold onto Braun.

 

Okay, I'll bite. Why? And what "value" that you could realistically hope to get in return would you consider equal to, or better than, Braun's value at his (relatively) ridiculously low salary? I just can't see it.

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pitchleague ACL Brewers

pitchleague

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I know those were jokes but if we don't play for 2013-2014 we should trade Braun. It is either all in now or get value for him. The absolutely worst thing we could do is be conservative the next 2 years and hold onto Braun.

 

Okay, I'll bite. Why? And what "value" that you could realistically hope to get in return would you consider equal to, or better than, Braun's value at his (relatively) ridiculously low salary? I just can't see it.

 

 

probably the same kind of big return of prospects we got in the Greg Vaughn trade. No, no, wait. Braun's a future possible Hall of Famer .. . . . the haul we got in the Gary Sheffield trade would be a better equivalent . . .

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The stache ACL Brewers

The stache

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Please, let's just nip this "trade Braun" talk in the bud.

 

Braun will be 29 in November. He's just now really entering his prime. Trading a guy with Triple Crown potential at the onset of his best years is absurd. I don't care what you could get in return. Hitters like the Hebrew Hammer come along once in a generation, and we're not going to get comparable value back.

 

Some players you look to trade. Braun extended his contract, and got less than he could have on the open market. He wants to remain in Milwaukee, and win a championship. You don't trade the face of the franchise when the best is yet to come.

There are three things America will be known for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music and baseball. They're the three most beautifully designed things this culture has ever produced. Gerald Early
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RightFieldCoder First Round Pick

RightFieldCoder

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Does anybody know if Braun has a no trade clause? If I were taking a huge hometown discount I would demand a no trade. Look what happened to Arroyo in Boston.

The poster previously known as Robin19, now @RFCoder

EA Sports...It's in the game...until we arbitrarily decide to shut off the server.

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dlk9s Carolina Mudcats

dlk9s

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Does anybody know if Braun has a no trade clause? If I were taking a huge hometown discount I would demand a no trade. Look what happened to Arroyo in Boston.

 

From Cot's:

 

no-trade clause 2008-11, limited no-trade clause 2012-13 (may block deals to 12 clubs), limited no-trade clause 2014-15 (may block deals to 6 clubs)
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JohnBriggs12 Biloxi Shuckers

JohnBriggs12

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Yes please stop the "trade Braun" stuff. Baseball is a game that flourishes in part because it gets handed down from generation to generation. Some of us are old enough to remember Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron in their primes in Milwaukee. We kind of had that ripped from us in the mid 60's, but Aaron's return as a Brewer 10 years later was special.

Robin Yount sparked a new generation of fans that revere him to this day. Molitor isn't nearly as revered.

 

Ryan Braun is this generation's equivalent. His value as the face of the franchise far exceeds what he'd bring back in a trade. Keep him. Enjoy watching him. It'll be over fast enough and he'll be heading to Cooperstown, and all of you will forever be telling your grand kids about the great Ryan Braun.

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Ennder Carolina Mudcats

Ennder

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Just to set things straight I'm not suggesting we should trade Braun with that post. I'm suggesting that we have to play for 2013/2014 even if it means hurting our future some because of how good he is and how hard he is going to be to replace when it comes that time. These are the types of players that give a mid market(by payroll) team playoff windows. We don't have the depth to constantly trade and replenish like say the Rays do.

 

When we go out and overpay for a mid tier SP and some RP this season because we need depth and people come and complain about how stupid it is, this is the comment that I will point to.

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The stache ACL Brewers

The stache

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But trading Braun wouldn't help us "go for it" in 2013/2014. That would be a sign that the team is looking to it's future, and NOT thinking about the present. And in the meantime, you'd see Brewer fans staying away from Miller Park. They'd be ticked that in a two year span, we let Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun get away.

 

What exactly, Ennder, are you going to point to in your last post if we complain about signing those two pitchers? That you would have compounded the problem by trading away the face of the franchise after just missing a Triple Crown?

There are three things America will be known for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music and baseball. They're the three most beautifully designed things this culture has ever produced. Gerald Early
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The stache ACL Brewers

The stache

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They would come back, yes, but how long do you think it would take for them to overcome to loss of that kind of offensive production? The players we'd get for Braun would start out in the minors. In the interim, the Brewers would see their chances at reaching the postseason decrease, and the turnstiles at Miller Park would slow.

 

We replaced Prince Fielder's production with Aramis and Corey Hart. I don't see anybody on the roster that would help us compensate for Braun's lost production. We'd find some stop gap on the market, but there's no guarantees.

 

No way Braun gets traded, or should be traded.

There are three things America will be known for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music and baseball. They're the three most beautifully designed things this culture has ever produced. Gerald Early
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