About Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball player. A left fielder, he played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and first base during his career, and was a third baseman during his rookie season. Braun was a two-time All-American at the University of Miami, where he was named National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America in 2003. The Brewers drafted him in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2005 MLB draft. He was the team's Minor League Player of the Year in 2006. Braun was considered a five-tool player for his ability to hit for power and average, his baserunning speed, and his excellent fielding and arm strength. He was ranked number seven by the Sporting News in its 2012 list of the 50 best current players in baseball. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 2007, won five Silver Slugger awards (2008–12), and won the NL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2011. He was named to five straight All-Star Games (2008–12), and was later named to a team-high sixth All-Star Game in 2015. Braun led the NL three times in slugging percentage (in 2007, 2011, and 2012) and once each in hits (2009), home runs (2012), and runs (2012). He was inducted into the Brewers Wall of Honor in 2022, and was inducted into the Brewers Walk of Fame in 2024. However, Braun came under scrutiny for a testosterone test that he failed in 2011 and then for his connection in 2012 to the Biogenesis of America clinic that provided performance-enhancing drugs to professional baseball players. On July 22, 2013, Braun was suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2013 season and playoffs (totaling 65 regular-season games) for violating the league's drug policy. Braun made public his accusations of anti-semitism by the testing facility employee administering the urine sample in the 2011 test. That test was dismissed for procedural mishandling of the sample. However, he was suspended two years later for his ties to Biogenesis and his disparagement of the employee. He subsequently admitted using PEDs during his 2011 MVP season. Braun later picked up basketball, which became his favorite sport, and soccer, in which he played forward.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.