Ryan Braun makes 2026 HOF Ballot

Ryan Braun (47.2 WAR)
Braun made his MLB debut in 2007 and immediately became one of the league’s elite hitters. He was feted as the NL Rookie of the Year that season after bopping 34 homers and batting .324 with a 1.004 OPS in 113 games. Over the next five seasons, he recorded 31.1 bWAR (second only to Albert Pujols’ 36.6), was named an All-Star five times and received a Silver Slugger each year. The centerpiece was Braun’s 2011 MVP year. That included 33 homers, 33 steals, and a .332/.397/.597 slash line. Braun would go 30-30 again the following season, coupling an NL-best 41 home runs with 30 stolen bases.

However, Braun was suspended in July 2013 for violations of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, shelving him for the rest of the season. He wasn’t quite as productive over the final seven seasons of his career, but Braun was an All-Star again in 2015 and had 30 homers with a 135 OPS+ in ‘16. Through his 14-year career spent entirely with Milwaukee, Braun’s 352 dingers are the most in Brewers history.