Milwaukee Brewers: Ryan Braun Superstar or a Higher Power?

In the eyes of some, Ryan Braun is the face of the Milwaukee Brewers. But, to others, he’s just being coddled.

While several people will always sing the praises of past players such as Yount, Molitor, and even Aaron, it seems as if Ryan Braun
is set to be the next guy who to considers as the elite player among the next generation of Milwaukee Brewers baseball players.

Personally, I have met Ryan Braun. He has always been cordial to me, even shaking my hand when it hurt him to do so, given his thumb injury. Even though he seems likable, you can’t help but notice that the Milwaukee Brewers coddle him in a pretty unique way.

One of the first things I noticed that this was an example of coddling was the way Braun went about his recovery from his back surgery during Spring Training. He said, “The biggest thing is getting my body prepared. Usually, 25-30 at-bats and I feel like I’m ready to go.”

A quick look at Braun’s Spring Training at bats in every year shows he averages 34.28 at-bats for his spring training career as a Brewer, so his statement was pretty accurate. The point is, though while he may be an elite player and a star, why does he feel he needs to be treated differently than others? Last time I checked, we all put on our pants one leg at a time.

More from Reviewing the Brew

• Brewers: 4 Players Who Must Step Up for the Crew to Make the Playoffs
• Brewers: Yet Another Huge Promotion For Top Prospect Jackson Chourio
• Brewers Making Colossal Mistake With Corbin Burnes’ Contract
• Which Players May Be In The Final Month Of Their Brewers Careers?
• Brewers: Where Does Devin Williams Stand In NL Reliever Of The Year Race?

He also went on to say in the same article that he has not taken live batting practice in years, possibly going back all the way to 2009. While everyone may have different routines and things that work for them, how does it look to some of these young prospects when they line up in their bp stations, and they observe a guy who gets special and preferential treatment?

In addition to the examples I gave about how many spring training at-bats he takes compared to others and how he does not do live batting practice, I had also read a report that he was not even going to travel with the team to a night game against the Rangers earlier this spring. If that indeed did happen, he again is showing that he is being favored and treated differently than other players for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Craig Counsell often talks about being a good teammate for other members of the Milwaukee Brewers. A good teammate would indeed travel to the game with all the others and enjoy the camaraderie while getting to know all the new guys on the trip.

I do not know whether Braun traveled to the game or not. The fact that he was even thinking about skipping out on it tells me that he seems to think he is bigger than the game itself. Braun, I have news for you. While everyone has egos and is conscious of their self-image, you are still one guy on a baseball team of 25.