Fantasy Profile: Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether it’s keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.

For the rest of our fantasy baseball profiles and articles, please check out our Fantasy Baseball Guide Page.

Fantasy Profile: Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

LWOS Ranking 10, Captain’s Value: $16.83

Ryan Braun has been an MVP winner and Silver Slugger champion. We have seen Braun conquer the MLB. Will he be able to play once again as a top-caliber Slugger?

Braun has been dealing with problems in his right hand, as he had surgery in October to alleviate an inflamed nerve. We have seen the outcome of the procedure in his batting, both for better and worse. During Spring Training he holds a .323/.432/.613 slash line in 37 PA, which looks like a good sign. However, he has also struck out 8 times. This may sound okay as we know that Braun is a power hitter and he tends to have lots of SO. But the Quality of Opposing Pitchers faced that he had was of 8.7 (8 is for AAA, 10 is for MLB per Baseball Reference). This year, he may not be able to lower the 19.5 K% he had on 2014 in a notable way.

2014 was a bad year for Braun, as he had a career-low .266/ .324/.453 slash line. He also struggled with power, having only 19 HR (career low in a full year) and not to mention his 1.0 WAR which was even lower than 2013’s (1.9 WAR). Even worse, he only produced 4.8 runs per game, also a career low for Braun.

His 35+ HR years are long gone, but this year without a doubt he’ll have 20+ HR. Braun tends to be drafted in the 3rd round. For me, you could pass him and draft several other players, for example, Bryce Harper. The 31 year-old slugger enters his sixth full season this year. Hopefully, he can turn things around and have a better 2015 season.

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