Milwaukee Brewers’ all-time greatest offensive player
By Tim Muma
It’s time to recognize how truly incredible Ryan Braun has been for the Milwaukee Brewers.
As a huge Paul Molitor fan, I’ve been fighting this for a while; however, it can no longer be disputed that Ryan Braun is the best hitter and offensive player in Milwaukee Brewers‘ history.
Braun’s 3-for-5, two home run, five RBI performance on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs cemented his place in franchise lore once and for all.
The veteran outfielder is also the only player ahead of Molitor in adjusted batting runs and adjusted batting wins, giving him the edge in the modern statistical measurements.
His first two-run blast came off the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, Jake Arrieta. Braun turned on a 3-2, 95-mph fastball to flip a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 Brewers’ lead.
Still leading 4-3 in the 8th, Braun again showed off his amazing bat speed by crushing a high, inside 96-mph fastball to left field, extended Milwaukee’s lead to 6-3 en route to an 11-3 win.
He now has six years of 30+ home runs out of his 10 MLB seasons, and he has an outside shot at 100 RBI for the sixth time (currently with 88).
That’s only part of the story.
As of September 19, Braun has a career .912 OPS and 141 OPS+ (100 is average), which adjusts for park effects such as the difference between playing in Miller Park versus County Stadium.
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He ranks 2nd all time in Milwaukee Brewers’ history in those categories, trailing only Prince Fielder who played just six full seasons in Milwaukee, compared to Braun’s 10 years.
Robin Yount doesn’t crack the club’s top 10 in either statistic, but Molitor is 6th in OPS+ at 125. Of course, longevity and consistency play a role in determining the all-time greats.
Yount leads most offensive categories, though that’s mainly because he played with the Brewers for 20 seasons. He had the two MVP years, but only made the All-Star team three times, skewing his case for the title of Brewers’ greatest hitter.
When it comes to many rate stats (e.g. OBP, batting average) and some advanced metrics, Yount falls from elite status.
Molitor was certainly the better all-around offensive threat, and when healthy, was always among the best hitters in the game.
With 15 years in Milwaukee, he does sit first or second in a majority of stats, though more
efficiently with exactly 1,000 fewer games played than Yount.
Molitor also fares better in those additional stats where Rockin’ Robin fails to show up.
For example, “The Ignitor” is 3rd in batting average (.303) and tied for 4th with Braun in OBP (.367).
In more advanced metrics, Molitor is 2nd in adjusted batting runs with 268 (Yount 4th at 219) and adjusted batting wins at 26.2 (Yount 4th at 21.2).
He’s also 3rd in win probability added and 5th in offensive win percentage, a category where Yount misses the top 10 among Milwaukee Brewers.
Again, these are the more advanced stats that try to place value on a player’s all-around impact.
That brings us to Braun.
He mostly ranks 3rd in counting stats, including runs, total bases, triples, and RBI; however, he has the edge in many other areas.
Braun has the franchise record for home runs (285) and the highest career slugging percentage (.545).
The veteran outfielder is also the only player ahead of Molitor in adjusted batting runs and adjusted batting wins, giving him the edge in the modern statistical measurements.
Braun is even a quality base runner, racking up 180 stolen bases. That’s good for 3rd in team history. Molitor leads everyone with 412 in Milwaukee.
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That’s the only area where Braun plays second fiddle to Paulie, and that would be on the bases. Molitor had terrific speed and some of the best baseball instincts ever.
With all that said, Braun is still the greatest offensive player for the Brewers.
As Steve “The Homer” True from ESPN Milwaukee put it, “Ryan Braun is Paul Molitor…with power.”
Hard to argue when their batting averages and OBP are identical, but Braun’s slugging percentage sits more than 100 points higher.
One other way to look at comparing the two would be to take Molitor’s 10 best seasons with Milwaukee to match them up with Braun’s career, which spans a decade.
Molitor would still come up short in OPS+ at 132.8 to Braun’s 141.
It will be fascinating to see if Braun ever gets elected into the Hall of Fame or has his number retired by the Brewers.
If he continues to hit like this for a few more years, he would likely have the statistics to make a strong case.
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The obvious blemish on Braun’s record is the PED suspension after he tested positive in his 2008 MVP season.
At this point, that is the only argument when trying to devalue his career and his stake as the best offensive player in Milwaukee Brewers’ history.