Brewers legend added to 2026 Hall of Fame ballot after historic career

In the 56 years that the Milwaukee Brewers have existed as a franchise, just nine players who have played for them at some point in their careers have been inducted into Major League Baseball's elusive Hall of Fame. While some of those names, like Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, spent countless seasons in a Brewers uniform, others like CC Sabathia and Dave Parker, both of whom were inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2025, played just one season or less in Milwaukee.

Joining the four names listed above as Hall of Famers who have spent time with the Brew Crew are the legendary Hank Aaron, relief pitching icons Rollie Fingers and Trevor Hoffman, 8x All-Star Ted Simmons, and Los Angeles Dodgers legend Don Sutton, who spent three seasons in Milwaukee in the early 80s.

Now, five years after a final season in 2020 dampened by the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brewers legend Ryan Braun is appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. With the five-year waiting period officially elapsed, voters from the Baseball Writers Association of America will now determine whether or not Braun's name will be etched into a plaque in Cooperstown. However, as most Brewers fans are probably aware, Braun's case for the Hall of Fame is a complicated one, and if history is any indication, his chances of reaching the 75% threshold needed to have his name live on forever in Cooperstown are slim.

Ryan Braun added to 2026 Hall of Fame ballot

On paper, Braun has a strong case for a spot in the Hall of Fame. Not only was he the MVP of the National League in 2011, but he also has a Rookie of the Year Award, six All-Star Game appearances, and five Silver Slugger Awards to his name. His 47.2 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) that he collected throughout his career is right on the borderline of the unwritten 50 WAR threshold needed to earn a spot in Cooperstown. On top of that, Braun's loyalty to his team and his integral role in returning playoff baseball to Milwaukee in 2008 should be worth something in the Hall of Fame voting process that has rewarded players for sticking with the same team throughout their careers in the past.

However, there's a glaring flaw on Braun's resume that has been catastrophic to other deserving players' Hall of Fame resumes in the past. In 2013, Braun was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), tarnishing not only his reputation but also his 2011 MVP Award-winning season. The situation, made worse by Braun's lack of admission to his wrongdoing during a 2012 investigation, could ultimately be the reason that the Brewers legend misses out on the Hall of Fame.

The BBWA has not been sympathetic to steroid users who have the resume for a spot in Cooperstown on paper, but have had their spot in the Hall of Fame denied due to their PED use. The most notable example is Barry Bonds, who has the best offensive resume in baseball history, but is on the outside of the Hall of Fame looking in.

Braun's career should not be dismissed because of one mistake that he made in the early years of his career, but it could prevent him from a spot in Cooperstown. Should Braun miss out on the Hall of Fame, the attention then turns to whether or not the Brewers elect to retire his number. No one has worn the number "8" since Braun's retirement, and it's unlikely anyone ever does even if Braun's number isn't formally retired, similar to how no Brewer has worn number "17" since Jim Gatner retired in 1992 despite the number not hanging beneath the roof of American Family Field. Most Brewers fans, especially those who remember what it was like not to have playoff baseball in Milwaukee, would be more than happy immortalizing Braun's number next to Aaron and Yount's at American Family Field.